In December 2025, Pastor Jarvis transitioned from this life. We deeply feel his absence. But we feel his presence even more in the leaders he mentored, the families he uplifted, and the traditions he helped establish.  

Like the ocean he loved so deeply, his impact continues to move – steady, powerful, and without end.

For decades in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Pastor Jarvis cultivated a thriving multigenerational community rooted in faith, service, and love. He understood something profound: caring for people means creating spaces where they experience joy, dignity and belonging.

When he became part of the Hispanic Access network, he entered into a relationship, bringing the trust of his congregation, the wisdom of lived experience, and a deep commitment to his community’s growth. Through regional collaboration and national partnerships, he helped open doors that had rarely been accessible to Latino families, from marine sanctuaries to broader conservation spaces.

What followed was not a single initiative, but a growing movement of participation, stewardship, and shared leadership.

A Connection That Crosses Oceans

Raised in the Dominican Republic, Pastor Jarvis understood the ocean as part of creation, heritage and memories. So when we partnered with Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to host whale-watching experiences, he saw more than an outing, he saw possibility.

He mobilized 84 members of his congregation,  children, parents, elders, and deaf and hard-of-hearing community members, ensuring everyone could fully participate. He asked thoughtful questions about accessibility. He pushed institutions to think more inclusively.

He didn’t simply bring people to the water. He made sure they belonged there.

For many families, it was their first time experiencing the ocean this way. For Dominican elders, watching humpback whales migrate between the Caribbean and Massachusetts was deeply symbolic.

“Whales travel thousands of miles from the Dominican Republic to Massachusetts,” he once shared. “Just like I did.”

Through moments like these, conservation became culturally resonant. Public waters became places of belonging. Institutions strengthened their engagement with Latino communities — not as visitors, but as partners.

This is what trusted leadership makes possible.

Collective Healing, Collective Action

When COVID-19 devastated Lawrence, grief weighed heavily on the community. Pastor Jarvis called and said, “Vamos a pescar. Let’s go fishing.”

Not as recreation. As a form of healing.

During Latino Conservation Week in 2020, he helped us organize a fishing charter for community leaders who had been carrying the weight of the crisis. Out on the Atlantic, they found space to breathe, reflect, and reconnect.

They fished. They cooked. They laughed, for some for the first time in months.

What began as a moment of restoration became an annual tradition. Each year since, leaders return to the water — strengthening bonds, renewing purpose, and modeling stewardship for younger generations watching them.

Pastor Jarvis did not separate faith from care for creation. He invited others into that responsibility, and in doing so, multiplied it.

A Model of Durable Impact

What I learned from Pastor Jarvis is that excellence is love expressed through preparation, inclusion, and follow-through.

He cared about the youth. He cared about children who were deaf and hard of hearing. He cared about the elders. He cared about leaders who served endlessly to their community. He cared about making sure everyone felt seen.

His story is not about one event. It is about capacity built over time. Relationships strengthened. Networks activated. Confidence expanded.

His leadership reminds us that nature and the environment are not separate from community. It is about cultural connection, access, and belonging in places where our communities have not always been centered.

He is a legend in Lawrence. But beyond that, he is a reminder of what becomes possible when trusted leaders are connected, supported, and given space to lead in their own voice.

At Hispanic Access, we believe change begins in relationships. It grows through trust. It expands when leaders move together.

Pastor Victor Jarvis showed us that when you connect culture, community, and care for nature and the environment, you don’t just create efforts. You create legacy and movement.

And like the whales he loved so much, that movement continues to travel — across oceans, across communities, and across generations. 

Pastor Jarvis was a dear friend. Each time we finished a conversation, he’d say, Paz.

Paz Pastor Jarvis. Rest in peace. Estoy agradecida por su vida, su familia, su comunidad y su legado.