Obituary of Edward James Chavez

Edward J. Chavez / Eddie Three Eagles

Eddie was born November 16, 1945 in Colorado Springs, Colorado on the corner of Pikes Peak and Prospect avenue in the back seat of a taxi cab. He passed away at home after a short battle with cancer on August 8, 2023, with his wife Nancy Jo Chavez by his side. He passed away at the age of 77. 

Eddie was born to Edward and Helen Torres, who both have preceded him in death. 

Eddie married Nancy Jo February 13, 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

He attended Lowell Grade School, South Junior High and Palmer High School. During his time at Palmer High, he was caught painting the "cojones" on General Palmer’s horse statue. After being caught, he had to climb up on a ladder during busy traffic hours and clean the statue. 

Eddie worked as a roofer in his early days. While working as a roofer, he fell off of a roof and was crushed by some metal, he then became a stay at home dad. He enjoyed volunteering and teaching students about Native American cultures. He volunteered at Pikes Peak Hospice at Memorial and St. Francis hospitals. He became a Native Shaman, Holy Man and Ordained Minister. He was a member of the Texas Cherokee Tribe and Chief Ambassador for One Nation Walking Together. Eddie was nominated 5 times for the Native American Music awards for his flute music. 

He is survived by his wife Nancy Jo of Colorado Springs; his children, Gwendolyn Madrid (CO), Edward Chavez Jr. (CO), Craig Nothaus (CO), Kelly Lang (KS), and Virginia McGee (TX); his grandchildren, Joseph, Jesse and Miranda Madrid, Samantha and Shelby Dalton, Casey Lang, Dayna Mayes and Cody Nothaus, Alex and Alonzo Padilla, Jonathan, Weylin, and Skyler McGee, Lucadia, Liliana, and Adrian Chavez. He also had many great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews and many many adopted children and grandchildren; and his siblings; Eugene, Gwendolyn, and Victor. 

He was preceded in death by a brother, Patrick; his daughter Lisa Padilla; and grandson Antonio. 

Celebration of life, 1:00PM-4:00PM, Sunday, August 13, 2023, Springs Rhythm, 1414 Kelly Johnson Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920. 

Quotes:
“Life is good as long as we can sit and talk about it “.
“I love you forever, I love you for always”.

His grandkids will always remember him for the best and spiciest salsa ever. He will missed dearly by all.