Fred Roybal, 78, passed away at his home in San Manuel on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.
Mr. Roybal, or Coach as he was known to many, graduated from San Manuel High School in 1957. He attended the Palo Verde Junior College in Blythe, California, graduating in 1959. He attended Arizona State University and earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Secondary Education and a Masters Degree in Library Science.
Mr. Roybal served as librarian and coached football and basketball at McNary High School in McNary, Arizona from 1963 to 1974. While coaching in McNary, his teams secured two state titles in football and two state titles in basketball. On the 50th anniversary of these titles, the Arizona Interscholastic Association honored Mr. Roybal and his teams at the championship games in Phoenix.
He served as librarian and coached football and basketball at San Manuel High School in San Manuel, Arizona from 1974 to 2007. He was later elected to and served on the Mammoth-San Manuel School District Governing Board.
Mr. Roybal loved coaching reading and traveling. He held season tickets to ASU football for 52 years. He was a member of the Copper Town Days Association and was the driving force behind the Copper Town Days annual car show.
He leaves behind his wife, Marie; daughters, Telvi Roybal (Liz) and Tiffany Barker (Kerry); grandchildren, Claire and Mason Barker; sisters, Anna Murray (Scott) and Michelle Hollanbeck; and brother, John (Gilda). He was preceded in death by his parents, Palo and Claudia Roybal.
Services for Mr. Roybal will be held on Friday, March 31, at 11 a.m. at Avalon Chapel Funeral Home, 8090 N. Northern Ave., Tucson. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society.