Dear Friends, Partners and Colleagues:

It is with an extremely sad heart that we write to inform you that FIS has lost a member of its family:  Celso Chavez, eldest son of FIS founding president Maria Casillas and brother of FIS staff member Carlos Chavez, passed away last Wednesday afternoon after complications from pneumonia.  He was 44 years old.  

Celso is remembered as a generous and creative spirit.  He was a founding member of the local band Possum Dixon that was signed to Interscope Records in 1993.  As a guitarist and songwriter, he was deeply involved in the recording industry and gave tirelessly to the work of MusiCares.  He was also active in supporting FIS and a number of FIS’ partners.  Celso was part of FIS since its inception in 2000 and was a close member of the FIS family. He demonstrated a true commitment to helping families by supporting the implementation of many of our programs, always going the extra mile. We will remember Celso as a joyful, caring and creative person.  His energy and smile were contagious.  He was a loving father and cared deeply about the education of his son.  He never hesitated to step in when any of us needed assistance.  We will miss him dearly and we share our deepest sympathies with the Chavez and Casillas families.

Celso leaves behind a 12-year-old son, Vincent, for whom an education trust will be created.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the trust. You can make checks payable to Families In Schools and mail to:

Families In Schools
c/o Vincent Chavez Trust
1545 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(Families In Schools will hold the donations as we wait for the trust to be created, donations to the trust are not tax-deductable).

Sincerely,

The FIS Family