In Memory of Alexis Emmanuel Roque

On January 21, 2023, our brother Alexis, age 25, left this earth to be with the Lord after fighting a long, ferocious battle with stage 3 cancer. Alexis was a warrior. When the doctors told us on New Year’s Day that he was not going to make it, he ended up fighting for another three additional weeks.

Alexis Emmanuel Roque was born in Santa Ana on May 15, 1997. He was the fourth child born in a family of 5 children. Alexis had a unique and outgoing character that stood out from the rest of his siblings. He always seemed to be doing his own thing and enjoyed having fun. As a young boy growing up, he was physically active in high school and he enjoyed running track.

Alexis found joy in helping and teaching others. Many young teenagers looked up to him and saw him as a role model and they contacted him for advice. In the last few years of his life, he fulfilled a desire he had always had to work for God’s Kingdom when he went to work at a Christian camp as a resident counselor. During his time at the camp, he expressed how much he enjoyed the opportunity he had to help teenagers find their way back to God.

Most recently, Alexis had expressed his desire to become a teacher and had enrolled in online courses. He wanted to get his bachelor's degree in English because he wanted to become an English teacher; a dream he, unfortunately, did not get to fulfill.

If there is one thing that most stands out about Alexis, it is that even though he often seemed to be marching to the beat of a different drum than others, he always loved God and wanted to do something that would advance God’s Kingdom on earth. Even though his life was cut short by a terminal disease, Alexis did get to impact many lives for God. His short life will continue to inspire others to pursue their dreams.

The last three weeks of his life were very difficult for Alexis and the family as the five rounds of chemo left his immune system completely depleted and his vital organs began to shut down. The many prayers of family and friends helped Alexis endure until his body could do no more due to complications. Although it was hard saying our final “goodbye”, we know that Alexis is now in his eternal home and completely well.

Alexis is survived by his parents, Jose and Angelica Roque, three brothers, Francisco, Jose, and Giovanny and his only sister, Ashley.