Story by Tracy Harmon | September 24, 2024 | Pueblo Chieftain
John "Juan" NavaBeloved Central High School teacher who always wore snazzy suits and ties as he served more than half a century in the classroom is being remembered for being "instrumental and dedicated to his students."
John "Juan" Nava, died Sept. 17. The very next day the student body at Central had already planned John Nava Day and students came to school decked out in his favorite color, purple, said his niece Nancy Martinez.
"When they found out he had passed, the principal was crying, the teachers were crying and they had a moment of silence for him at Central," she said.
"He was so instrumental at Central and his former students from all over the country are reaching out to share their stories with us. They are writing tributes to him all over social media," she said.
"He cared about them and he just loved all those kids dearly."
The Central Wildcats had been pulling for Nava's recovery.
"When they learned he was in the hospital, all the kids on the float during the Fiesta Day Parade sent him a get-well message and the dance team also sent him a get-well message from the Alzheimer's Walk," Martinez told the Chieftain.
"Before he went into the hospital I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse with him and he was like a rock star with all the kids coming up to him saying, 'Do you remember me, Mr. Nava?" she recalled.
Nava's lifelong love of Pueblo
Nava was born May 6, 1935, in Pueblo, to Pedro and Maria Nava. He grew up in the Goat Hill neighborhood where he remained a proud, lifelong resident until his death.
After graduating from Centennial High School, Nava joined the United States Navy. He later attended college at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and was the only child in a family of 13 to attend and graduate from a four-year college.
Nava started teaching at Central in 1969, where he taught for over 50 years. He was instrumental in founding the Central High School Spanish Club and the Student Exchange Program to Hermosillo Mexico. He also organized a 1950s-themed program for students who had an opportunity to perform songs from that era.
After retiring more than 20 years ago, he continued to substitute teach at Central right up until April of this year.
"I used to call him the Robert Redford and Brad Pitt of Pueblo. For me, his love for family, friends and his faith will be what I remember most. He attended mass six days a week and not just one parish," Martinez recalled.
Nava always distinguished himself with colorful socks and ties.
"I washed over 300 pairs of socks and got all his ties together and we are going to give them out at his service with little notes that say, 'With Love, Juan Nava,'" Martinez told the Chieftain.
"He always dressed to the nines so I said my last gift to him will be a brand new tie and handkerchief. And he will be wearing a brand new pair of socks that read 'GOAT - Greatest of All Time,'" she said.
"The Nava family adored him and are very proud of his legacy. That legacy is continuing with great nieces and nephews who are attending Central," she said.
Nava also leaves behind dear friends and former students Mike Murray, Steve Appel and Nick Bonham, and beloved fellow teacher Cherise Johnson.
His impact was felt at church Sunday where one parishioner approached Martinez and told her she used to sit by her uncle every Sunday during mass.
"She said she wore a shirt in honor of him and it read, 'Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat,'" Martinez said.
Martinez said Nava's legacy is so profound that many of his students from throughout the decades will remember him as being as impactful as Sidney Poitier's character Mark Thackeray in "To Sir With Love" and Edward James Olmos' character Jamie Escalante from "Stand and Deliver."
