Mr. Tomas Barahona Martinez

Tomas Barahona was born on January 10th, 1958 in Canton La Isla, a rural community near the city of Metapán in Santa Ana, El Salvador. He passed in the company of his family on the afternoon of July 25, 2026, after a brief and challenging battle against neuroendocrine cancer. Tomas is survived by his wife, Adelina; his three children, Janet, Jocelyn, and Romario; his grandchildren, Xavier and Victor; his siblings, Elida, Concepción, Maria, Angelica, Benjamin, Elmer, Miguel, Julio, and Elias; and his many nieces and nephews. Tomas grew up in a different world than the one we now know. He grew up in a small house without running water, electricity, or telephones, where, as a child, he was expected to contribute to the homestead by working the land and tending to the farm animals on a daily basis. He was the eldest of his siblings, and during his childhood experienced multiple losses and hardships including the untimely respective deaths of his mother, and two younger siblings, Mario and Emilia. Perhaps as a result of these losses, he resolved to create better circumstances for himself and his surviving siblings, and succeeded in doing so. Amid impending civil war, he was the first in his family to leave El Salvador for the United States. He rarely discussed what he went through to get to the United States or how much effort and grit it took to get established in this country, but we know that he endured poverty, homelessness, and discrimination. Despite these tribulations, we know he experienced some good, and that as result of that good he was able to get situated enough to help his siblings and his father. Rather than seek self-enrichment, he worked hard and saved to systematically pull his younger siblings out of worsening conditions in El Salvador. He sacrificed much of his youth for his family, but once together, we all became stronger. Because he was willing to give so much for us, we have all been given access to experiences and opportunities he could only dream of. He was not a perfect man. He was externally hardened by his experiences, but he acted with love and was always the person you could count on. The impact of his love continues to ripple throughout the generations of our family. He may no longer be physically with us, but the love that bound him to his family continues to bind us all in his absence. May he now rest in peace and love with our dearly departed family members, knowing that his life made it possible for our lives to be incredible. The family invites friends to join them for the wake, which is scheduled for Sunday, August 2, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., at Scarborough & Hargett Celebration of Life Center, Inc., 309 N Queen Street, Durham, North Carolina 27701. The funeral service will take place on Monday, August 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 810 W. Chapel Hill Street, Durham, North Carolina 27701. The interment will take place in Maplewood Cemetery.

Mr. Tomas Barahona Martinez

January 10, 1958 - July 25, 2026