A funeral mass for Nolberto C. “Beto” Tobias, Jr., age 89, of Brownwood, will be held at 10:00 am, Friday, December 6, 2024, at St. Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the Cedar Point Cemetery under the direction of Heartland Funeral Home. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday evening from 6:00 until 8:00, with the Rosary starting at 7:00 pm.
Mr. Tobias passed from this life on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, in an Abilene hospital.
Beto was born on March 29, 1935, in Jimenez, Coahuila, Mexico, to Nolberto Tobias Garcia, Sr. and Juanita Carbajal Menchaca Tobias. He attended Josefa Ortiz de Dominquez school in San Matias Mpio in Jimenez through the second grade. Beto was one of eleven children and at a very young age was pulled from school to shepherd the family’s goats and help with other household chores on the family’s ranch.
Beto married Olivia Flores de Tobias on January 25, 1957, in Jimenez, and began a life together that blessed them with seven children.
Beto was a life-long member of St. Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church. He believed in the bible and his creator God. In his later years, he would often say, “I’ve lived a good long life and I’m ready to go whenever God is ready to receive me.” He would end with this “Dios por delante” (God in front; putting faith in God above all else.)
Beto had many hobbies; he loved spending time outdoors with his animals that ranged from cows, horses, sheep, goats, donkey, chickens and dogs. Beto never met a stranger, he loved to visit for hours at a time and tell stories of times passed from his youth growing up in Mexico, to his adventures coming to the United States at 18 years of age looking and yearning for a better and more prosperous life. Beto came to Brownwood in 1954 on a work visa and worked for Bill, Dick, and John Alexander on their ranch. While working at the Alexander Ranch, he met and later married Olivia and they were blessed with seven children. Seeking a better life for his family led Beto to seek work in the meatpacking industry where he worked for various companies (Gooch, Samuels & Company, Swift & Company, Monfort and ConAgra) where he retired after 30 years. The meatpacking industry took him to Abilene, Fort Worth, San Angelo, and even a short stint in Nebraska. He moved back to Brownwood upon retirement.
Beto is survived by the mother of his children, Olivia Flores de Tobias; six children, Refugio “Toby” Tobias, Rosaelia “Rosa” Sikes, Ramiro Tobias and wife Sylvia, Reynaldo “Rey” Tobias, and Roberto “Robert” Tobias, all of Brownwood, and Olivia Cantwell and husband Johnny of Early; 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, a sister, Francisca Tobias Carbajal of Jimenez Coahuila, Mexico, a brother, Magdaleno Tobias Carbajal, Del Rio, an honorary brother and beloved friend, Jose Alcorta; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and other members of the family.
Beto was preceded in death by a son, Rodolfo “Rudy” Tobias; his parents, brothers, Felipe Tobias, Victoriano Tobias, Sr., Guadalupe Tobias, Hermenegildo Tobias, and Eduardo Tobias, sisters, Ernestina Loera, Vicenta Arreola, and Viviana Tobias de Acosta.
Condolences, memories, and tributes can be offered to the Tobias family online at heartlandfunerahome.com
