Joel Daniel Roza

Joel Daniel Roza of Houston, Texas peacefully passed away on Friday, November 21, 2025 at the age of 61 with his loving family by his side. He was born on May 22, 1964 in Houston, Texas where he grew up surrounded by a loving community of friends and family.

Joel most recently worked proudly for Truno Retail Technology Solutions, which was preceded by over 30 years in the telecommunications industry, most notably with Genesis Telecom for 25 years.

He was a rocker to the core, attending well over 160 shows at numerous legendary Houston venues between 1976 and 2023, including dozens with his beloved son starting in 2003. Joel was also a die-hard Astros, Rockets, and Texans fan, taking in countless Astros games in person, and watching with pride as Houston claimed World Series titles in 2017 and 2022. He also loved history and spent much time taking in documentaries about war, architecture, and space exploration.

Joel was a son of Houston, expertly navigating the city and staying tuned to the ever-changing landscape through the decades by way of his work, which kept him on the move constantly. He raised his family in Houston alongside his beloved wife of 40 years, Debi, living in suburbs such as Alief, Sugar Land, and Richmond, before settling for many years on the East Side with his cherished mother and sister nearby. He spent the last year and a half living in Pasadena; yet another notch on his journey through Space City.

Family was central to Joel’s life, and those who knew him best were always entertained by his quick wit, sharp one-liners, and the ceaseless enthusiasm with which he quoted movies or sang song lyrics in the middle of conversations.

No moment gave Joel more pride than when his son joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2005. During his son’s seven-year career, Joel set sail aboard the USCGC Munro (WHEC-724) on a three-day trip from Naval Base San Diego to Coast Guard Island just outside of San Francisco during a rare family event, spent time on military bases in California and Texas, getting up close and personal with instruments of life-saving and warfare that he had only ever seen on TV. He followed his son’s career with great interest and loving care, taking pride in the historic moments of his career and chronicling every part of it. He made his son feel ten feet tall.

Joel is preceded in death by his father, Pete Roza, and grandparents, Faustino and Eva Chapa.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Debi Roza (Tuohy), son Joel (Megan) Roza, his cherished mother Rose Truex-Smith (Richard), and sister Jennifer (Pete) Silva. Cherished Papa of Gavin and Julia. He is also survived by numerous aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews whom he loved and cherished deeply.

The family would like to thank Dr. Mourad Senussi, his attending physician, as well as the many other nurses and doctors at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center who oversaw his care, along with the lovely people at LifeGift for the care and compassion they showed our cherished Joel in his time of need. We would also like to extend a special thank you to Christopher Tusch, who was his RN earlier this year after surgery, and had brought him great comfort and raised his spirits, and was his final assigned RN on the day he passed, giving his family that same care and comfort.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to his family would be deeply appreciated.