Remembering Pastor Tobin Savage: A Life of Faith and Service
A faithful pastor, colleague and friend who dedicated his life to serving God and others.
With heavy hearts, the Texico Conference family mourns the passing of Pastor Tobin Savage, a faithful pastor, colleague, and friend whose life reflected a deep commitment to God, his family, and the people he was called to serve.
Pastor Tobin was born into a fifth-generation Seventh-day Adventist family in Loma Linda, California, where his parents served as youth leaders at the Azure Hills Church. Faith, service, curiosity, and a willingness to work with his hands were woven into his life from an early age.
When Tobin was in the fourth grade, his family moved to La Vida Mission in northwestern New Mexico. After attending the mission school for one year, he was homeschooled while helping his parents operate a trading post near La Vida. During those formative years, he also learned mechanics from his father—developing the technical ability and hands-on approach that would remain an important part of his life.
Tobin later attended Campion Academy and Thunderbird Adventist Academy, where he immersed himself in flying and a variety of other interests. It was during his academy years, while presenting a student Week of Prayer, that Tobin first sensed God’s call to ministry.
Following graduation, he enrolled at La Sierra University as a physics major. Through prayer, counsel, and a growing conviction of God’s calling, he eventually changed his major to religion and prepared for pastoral ministry. It was also at La Sierra that Tobin met Rebekah, who would become his wife and partner through the many chapters of life and ministry that followed. Together, they were blessed with two children, Andrew and Krissy.
After graduating, Tobin taught at Holbrook Indian School, where he also served as an associate pastor. His life and career would come to reflect a distinctive combination of pastoral ministry and technical expertise. In addition to his theological education, Tobin earned a degree in instrumentation and controls and became a journeyman electrician.
When the opportunity came to enter full-time pastoral ministry, Tobin accepted a call to serve the Seventh-day Adventist church in Dubuque, Iowa. He later returned to the Southwest, where he served in bi-vocational ministry while working for Chevron Oil Company. During this chapter of their lives, Tobin and his family lived in Rangely, Colorado, while he pastored the Craig and Steamboat Springs Seventh-day Adventist churches.
Years later, Tobin had the opportunity to fulfill another lifelong dream: building a cabin in the mountains. He and Rebekah made their home in Ramah, New Mexico, bringing Tobin back to a part of the country that had helped shape him from his youth.
In 2022, another call to full-time pastoral ministry opened the door for Tobin to serve in the Texico Conference. He pastored the Gallup, Grants, Pie Town, Reserve, and Crownpoint district, bringing to his ministry the breadth of a life spent teaching, building, learning, working, and serving others.
Pastor Tobin’s journey was not defined by a single occupation, congregation, or place. Through the different seasons of his life, there remained a willingness to follow where God led and to use the gifts he had been given in service to others. Whether in a classroom, a church, a workplace, or a community, Tobin brought with him his faith, his many talents, and a desire to serve.
We are deeply saddened by his passing and will miss his presence among our Texico Conference family. We remember with gratitude the years God gave him, the congregations and communities he served, and the lives touched through his ministry.
Above all, we hold Rebekah, Andrew, Krissy, and the entire Savage family close in our hearts and prayers. We ask our Conference family to continue surrounding them with love, prayer, and support in the days ahead.
Even in our sorrow, we hold firmly to the hope we have in Christ and to the promise that death will not have the final word:
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again…”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14
We look forward in faith to the day when Christ returns, the graves are opened, and God’s children are reunited in the joy of the resurrection.
Celebration of Life
A memorial service celebrating the life of Pastor Tobin Savage will be held:
Sunday, August 23, 2026
11:00 a.m.
Aztec Seventh-day Adventist Church
240 Heritage Lane
Aztec, New Mexico 87410
For those unable to attend in person, the Celebration of Life will also be available to watch online.
The Savage family is also planning an additional memorial gathering at the family property at a later date, providing an opportunity for church members and friends who may not be able to attend the August 23 service to remember Pastor Tobin together. Additional information will be shared once those arrangements have been finalized.
We invite our Texico Conference family to continue keeping Rebekah, Andrew, Krissy, and the entire Savage family in prayer as we remember Pastor Tobin’s life, faith, and ministry.
Texico Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Administration
