La Voz Arizona and Arizona Republic journalist Javier Arce died at the age of 48 on Friday after a seven-month battle with stomach cancer.
The people who knew him best expressed their admiration for his commitment to his work as a multifaceted journalist and his dedication to his family and friends in the Phoenix area and in Mexicali, Mexico, where he was born and raised.
“Javier was an excellent father, husband and friend. He would always make others smile, was a very gentle person, kind and, above all, filled with nobleness,” his wife of 13 years, Cynthia Vega, said. “There are many pending moments we didn’t live through, and he left many more memories that we will never forget.”
Arce covered Arizona’s Latino and immigrant communities for more than two decades, including at La Voz Arizona and The Arizona Republic for the past 10 years. In January, Arce stepped away as an editor, reporter and online producer to seek treatment after he received his cancer diagnosis.