Stanislaus DA's office mourns loss of third prosecutor
The Stanislaus County district attorney's office is mourning the loss of its third prosecutor in less than two years.
Deputy District Attorney Francisco "Frank" Alvarez, 57, died Sunday at Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical Center, according to Assistant District Attorney Carol Shipley.
She said Mr. Alvarez's family asked that his cause of death not be made public.
He was born July 13, 1954, in East Los Angeles. Mr. Alvarez served four years in the Air Force as a teletype repairman before starting his law career.
He began working at the DA's office in 1990. He prosecuted a number of misdemeanor and felony crimes from domestic violence to consumer fraud.
He secured the first conviction against a gang member who violated the south Modesto gang injunction as a prosecutor for the gang unit.
But he spent the better part of his career — 10 years — in the juvenile division.
"While he always made sure the young people were accountable for their actions, he was also very much focused on rehabilitation," said Ruben Villalobos, a defense attorney and a friend of Mr. Alvarez's. "There are a lot of young people who moved beyond their criminal behavior because of Frank."
Outside of work, Shipley said Mr. Alvarez was known for his "outstanding community service," particularly with Latino and veteran issues.
He has served on a number of boards and committees, including the Girl Scouts, the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Mental Health Board and the Turlock Unified School District Criminal Justice Committee. Since 1992, he participated in the Stanislaus County Mock Trial competition and has helped organize the Fourth of July parade, Veterans Day parade and Cinco de Mayo parade
He recently was appointed as a member on the California Mexican-American War Memorial and was the commander of the American GI Forum.
The organization raises money for scholarships for veterans and future military, but Mr. Alvarez and another member had the idea of starting a scholarship for teachers to help augment the money they pay out of pocket for classroom costs.
"He was a district attorney, but he was real down to earth," said Fred Garcia, an American GI Forum vice commander. "He never was assuming. He could deal with people from all walks of life, from homeless people to dignitaries."
Garcia described Mr. Alvarez as "jovial, very God-fearing and family oriented."
Shipley echoed Garcia, saying: "He gave himself to everybody in different ways from helping one of our employees' son get into the Air Force to helping another employee's son with a paper for college. He had a smile and a greeting for everyone. He was very much respected and liked among the community — defense attorneys, civil attorneys and prosecutors alike."
Mr. Alvarez, who lived in Modesto, is the third county deputy district attorney to die in less than two years.
On Sept. 19, 2010, Shawn Barlow, 40, died at his Turlock home of natural causes. On Aug. 4, 2010, Nate Baker, 42, died at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, where he was scheduled to undergo a heart procedure.
"We are pretty much in shock," Shipley said about the atmosphere in the office Monday. "This is our third prosecutor to die in less than two years. He is another one of our family gone."
Mr. Alvarez is survived by his wife, Sandra; daughter, Tanya; brothers Carlos, Alex and Luis; and sister, Sylvia, as well as nine nieces and nephews.
A service will held Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, with lunch to follow at the St. Stanislaus Elementary School gym.
Bee staff writer Erin Tracy can be reached at etracy@modbee.com or (209) 578-2366.
This story was originally published May 14, 2012 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Stanislaus DA's office mourns loss of third prosecutor."