Nogales International
Friday, July 25, 2008 8:05 AM PDT Guy Tobin of Rio Rico Properties dies at 53
Guy Tobin, 53, president of the Rio Rico Properties Inc., the Arizona division of Avatar Properties Inc. died Tuesday in Tucson following a long battle with cancer.
He was surrounded by his family, a spokeswoman said.
A news release said, "Guy was a true visionary who changed the face of Rio Rico. Everyone will sorely miss him."
Tobin, a native of Southern California, is survived by his wife, Cheryl; a daughter, Kristin; and a son, Brandon.
Tobin received a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in planning urban geography, and an MBA from UCLA. He was involved in homebuilding and master-planned communities since 1984.
"Guy's accomplishments in Rio Rico are numerous," the news release said. "He took a basically stalled and somewhat negative development in Rio Rico and turned it into what is today the Villages of Rio Rico, which has expanded from one development into six successful projects, including custom homes, golf-course homes at Tubac Golf Resort, equestrian properties, and soon-to-be golf-course homes in Rio Rico.
"Guy also had the foresight to perform a complete renovation on the Rio Rico Resort, upgrade the Rio Rico Fitness Center, and revitalized the Plaza at Rio Rico, attracting such major tenants as Wells Fargo Bank," the news release said. "Southern Arizona was very lucky to have Guy Tobin, who is listed in the national 'Who's Who of Homebuilding,' as the person spearheading the revitalization of Rio Rico."
Services were pending at press time.