Gerald E. Garcia was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in both his approach to life and in his various relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of "stick-to-it" attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Gerald was realistic about life and was always at the ready, prepared to take on any responsibility that faced him.
Gerald came into the world on December 2, 1954. He first greeted the world in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he also grew up in Alemeda. Gerald experienced many things while growing up. He was the son of Arthur and Toni Garcia. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.
Growing up, Gerald was good at working through the usual family problems and spats when they appeared. He was the one person in the family who seemed to be the most able to keep the stress at bay. He was raised with seven siblings; Ronnie, Sue, Ted, Debbie and Darlene. He was the type of person who seemed to be constantly involved in activities with the other members of his family. He enjoyed his annual visit in September to Albuquerque and enjoyed his time with every one of his brothers and sisters. They would start at State Fair and end up at the horse track and always visit his favorite restaurants along the way. Gerald and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but he was always consistently loyal to them.
Gerald's grandparents were Santos and Cassiana Martinez. He was brought up on his grandparent's farm.
As a young child, Gerald was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Instead, he was willing to wait to be asked to join in. When asked, he would generally jump at the chance.
Gerald developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Gerald spent his early school years at Alameda Elementary School.
Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. As a child, he played horse shoes and darts. His hobbies included riding bicycles and carving. He also enjoyed playing Cowboys & Indiana and Tarzan. Gerald had many things he liked to read, including a variety of political and 20th century literature.
Gerald was somewhat reserved about his relationships, but those who became his friends understood that he was true and loyal. His childhood friends included Jimmy, LeRoy, Mario, Pat M., Pat G., and Robert. The used to go swimming at the "Y" and hang out at the lake.
Gerald grew up in a home in a Pamins community, in the country. Pets were an important part of Gerald’s life, especially when it came to his dog, Zero. Zero was a fat, friendly, brown, furry mutt that followed him everywhere and was his loyal companion. Zero would run alongside him as he rode his bike. Gerald enjoyed his vacations but his favorite was camping in Colorado and more recently Redondo Beach, California.
While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Gerald as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. He graduated from West Mesa High School and his favorite class was Photography. While he was serious about his classwork, he also took time to get involved in other aspects of high school as well, like playing basketball. He also enjoyed playing baseball with his friends from the neighborhood and his brothers and sisters. They would play behind his house on a huge empty part of the property.
Though the teen years were primarily focused on education, there were plenty of things going on outside of school for Gerald. Because he was so conscientious, Gerald began to understand the meaning of responsibility at an early age. No matter what he was responsible for, he always made sure to be painstakingly meticulous. Gerald learned about the value of working when he got his first job at Malouse Distributors. His first car was a ‘57 Chevy. Gerald also did a bit of traveling during his high school years. He traveled to Long Beach, California to visit extended family there.
College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Gerald handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, he was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his course work and assignments. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. He was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed both his professors and his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served him well throughout college. He attended the University of New Mexico and majored in Electrical Engineering.
There was also life outside of the classroom for Gerald during his college years but his focus was still on photography.
He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Gerald met Josephine Hazel Garcia. Gerald and Hazel met at a graduation party. For their first date they went to Hunick's Lounge and hung out.
Gerald called Hazel on the phone while Hazel was at home and proposed. Being very traditional, Gerald wanted to make sure everything about the upcoming wedding was just right. The couple exchanged vows on October 12, 1996. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family. Their wedding was a family gathering at the Little White Chapel. The bridesmaid was Charlene Pena. Standing up with the groom was Juan Pena. The wedding reception was held at an Italian restaurant with family afterwards.
Following the ceremony, Hazel and Gerald managed to spend some time together on their honeymoon. The honeymoon was spent with granddaughter, Marissa.
Compassionate and devoted to Hazel, Gerald held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Hazel, and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy, no matter where they called home. Their first residence was at the Shadow Ridge Apartments.
In addition to being each other’s best friend, Gerald and Hazel were friends with Michelle and Pete. In addition, they had furry friends, including Chuey, Emma and Baby, all chihuahuas.
Gerald brought the same traditional values by which he lived his life to how he raised his own family. He was a good parent, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. He was also a walking schedule. He always seemed to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. He had six children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, Brandie and Joseph. The children would often fill Gerald with pride and joy because of their accomplishments.
Gerald tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. Later on in life, he was also blessed with thirteen grandchildren, Marissa, Arianna, Adriana, Santana, Alyssa, Michael Jr., Shilo, Jazlyn, Fabian, Giovanni, Isaac, Sophia and Dominic.
Gerald greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. While he worked at several jobs over his lifetime, his primary occupation was working as an upholsterer.
Gerald worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary to meet objectives. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant going the extra mile.
Gerald liked to experience things firsthand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Gerald always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. His pride was his Nascar Collectibles. When it came to cuisine, he particularly enjoyed Frito Pie and red enchiladas. His favorite TV show was Two and a Half Men and his favored movie was Goodfellas. He enjoyed listening to Tex Mex music. But nothing beat his passion for watching Nascar.
Gerald was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith as a Christian. Gerald would participate in bike rides for charities. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.
Gerald Garcia left us on May 25, 2011. He passed away at Centennial Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 56 years old. He was preceded in death by his mother, father and son-in-law, Juan. He is survived by his wife, Josephine; his children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, and Brandie; his 13 grandchildren; his sisters, Debbie and Darlene and his brother, Ted. Services were handled by Palm Northwest Mortuary.
Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Gerald E. Garcia. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.
Gerald came into the world on December 2, 1954. He first greeted the world in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he also grew up in Alemeda. Gerald experienced many things while growing up. He was the son of Arthur and Toni Garcia. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.
Growing up, Gerald was good at working through the usual family problems and spats when they appeared. He was the one person in the family who seemed to be the most able to keep the stress at bay. He was raised with seven siblings; Ronnie, Sue, Ted, Debbie and Darlene. He was the type of person who seemed to be constantly involved in activities with the other members of his family. He enjoyed his annual visit in September to Albuquerque and enjoyed his time with every one of his brothers and sisters. They would start at State Fair and end up at the horse track and always visit his favorite restaurants along the way. Gerald and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but he was always consistently loyal to them.
Gerald's grandparents were Santos and Cassiana Martinez. He was brought up on his grandparent's farm.
As a young child, Gerald was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Instead, he was willing to wait to be asked to join in. When asked, he would generally jump at the chance.
Gerald developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Gerald spent his early school years at Alameda Elementary School.
Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. As a child, he played horse shoes and darts. His hobbies included riding bicycles and carving. He also enjoyed playing Cowboys & Indiana and Tarzan. Gerald had many things he liked to read, including a variety of political and 20th century literature.
Gerald was somewhat reserved about his relationships, but those who became his friends understood that he was true and loyal. His childhood friends included Jimmy, LeRoy, Mario, Pat M., Pat G., and Robert. The used to go swimming at the "Y" and hang out at the lake.
Gerald grew up in a home in a Pamins community, in the country. Pets were an important part of Gerald’s life, especially when it came to his dog, Zero. Zero was a fat, friendly, brown, furry mutt that followed him everywhere and was his loyal companion. Zero would run alongside him as he rode his bike. Gerald enjoyed his vacations but his favorite was camping in Colorado and more recently Redondo Beach, California.
While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Gerald as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. He graduated from West Mesa High School and his favorite class was Photography. While he was serious about his classwork, he also took time to get involved in other aspects of high school as well, like playing basketball. He also enjoyed playing baseball with his friends from the neighborhood and his brothers and sisters. They would play behind his house on a huge empty part of the property.
Though the teen years were primarily focused on education, there were plenty of things going on outside of school for Gerald. Because he was so conscientious, Gerald began to understand the meaning of responsibility at an early age. No matter what he was responsible for, he always made sure to be painstakingly meticulous. Gerald learned about the value of working when he got his first job at Malouse Distributors. His first car was a ‘57 Chevy. Gerald also did a bit of traveling during his high school years. He traveled to Long Beach, California to visit extended family there.
College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Gerald handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, he was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his course work and assignments. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. He was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed both his professors and his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served him well throughout college. He attended the University of New Mexico and majored in Electrical Engineering.
There was also life outside of the classroom for Gerald during his college years but his focus was still on photography.
He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Gerald met Josephine Hazel Garcia. Gerald and Hazel met at a graduation party. For their first date they went to Hunick's Lounge and hung out.
Gerald called Hazel on the phone while Hazel was at home and proposed. Being very traditional, Gerald wanted to make sure everything about the upcoming wedding was just right. The couple exchanged vows on October 12, 1996. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family. Their wedding was a family gathering at the Little White Chapel. The bridesmaid was Charlene Pena. Standing up with the groom was Juan Pena. The wedding reception was held at an Italian restaurant with family afterwards.
Following the ceremony, Hazel and Gerald managed to spend some time together on their honeymoon. The honeymoon was spent with granddaughter, Marissa.
Compassionate and devoted to Hazel, Gerald held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Hazel, and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy, no matter where they called home. Their first residence was at the Shadow Ridge Apartments.
In addition to being each other’s best friend, Gerald and Hazel were friends with Michelle and Pete. In addition, they had furry friends, including Chuey, Emma and Baby, all chihuahuas.
Gerald brought the same traditional values by which he lived his life to how he raised his own family. He was a good parent, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. He was also a walking schedule. He always seemed to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. He had six children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, Brandie and Joseph. The children would often fill Gerald with pride and joy because of their accomplishments.
Gerald tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. Later on in life, he was also blessed with thirteen grandchildren, Marissa, Arianna, Adriana, Santana, Alyssa, Michael Jr., Shilo, Jazlyn, Fabian, Giovanni, Isaac, Sophia and Dominic.
Gerald greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. While he worked at several jobs over his lifetime, his primary occupation was working as an upholsterer.
Gerald worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary to meet objectives. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant going the extra mile.
Gerald liked to experience things firsthand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Gerald always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. His pride was his Nascar Collectibles. When it came to cuisine, he particularly enjoyed Frito Pie and red enchiladas. His favorite TV show was Two and a Half Men and his favored movie was Goodfellas. He enjoyed listening to Tex Mex music. But nothing beat his passion for watching Nascar.
Gerald was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith as a Christian. Gerald would participate in bike rides for charities. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.
Gerald Garcia left us on May 25, 2011. He passed away at Centennial Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 56 years old. He was preceded in death by his mother, father and son-in-law, Juan. He is survived by his wife, Josephine; his children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, and Brandie; his 13 grandchildren; his sisters, Debbie and Darlene and his brother, Ted. Services were handled by Palm Northwest Mortuary.
Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Gerald E. Garcia. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.
Gerald E. Garcia was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in both his approach to life and in his various relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of "stick-to-it" attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Gerald was realistic about life and was always at the ready, prepared to take on any responsibility that faced him.
Gerald came into the world on December 2, 1954. He first greeted the world in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he also grew up in Alemeda. Gerald experienced many things while growing up. He was the son of Arthur and Toni Garcia. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.
Growing up, Gerald was good at working through the usual family problems and spats when they appeared. He was the one person in the family who seemed to be the most able to keep the stress at bay. He was raised with seven siblings; Ronnie, Sue, Ted, Debbie and Darlene. He was the type of person who seemed to be constantly involved in activities with the other members of his family. He enjoyed his annual visit in September to Albuquerque and enjoyed his time with every one of his brothers and sisters. They would start at State Fair and end up at the horse track and always visit his favorite restaurants along the way. Gerald and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but he was always consistently loyal to them.
Gerald's grandparents were Santos and Cassiana Martinez. He was brought up on his grandparent's farm.
As a young child, Gerald was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Instead, he was willing to wait to be asked to join in. When asked, he would generally jump at the chance.
Gerald developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Gerald spent his early school years at Alameda Elementary School.
Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. As a child, he played horse shoes and darts. His hobbies included riding bicycles and carving. He also enjoyed playing Cowboys & Indiana and Tarzan. Gerald had many things he liked to read, including a variety of political and 20th century literature.
Gerald was somewhat reserved about his relationships, but those who became his friends understood that he was true and loyal. His childhood friends included Jimmy, LeRoy, Mario, Pat M., Pat G., and Robert. The used to go swimming at the "Y" and hang out at the lake.
Gerald grew up in a home in a Pamins community, in the country. Pets were an important part of Gerald’s life, especially when it came to his dog, Zero. Zero was a fat, friendly, brown, furry mutt that followed him everywhere and was his loyal companion. Zero would run alongside him as he rode his bike. Gerald enjoyed his vacations but his favorite was camping in Colorado and more recently Redondo Beach, California.
While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Gerald as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. He graduated from West Mesa High School and his favorite class was Photography. While he was serious about his classwork, he also took time to get involved in other aspects of high school as well, like playing basketball. He also enjoyed playing baseball with his friends from the neighborhood and his brothers and sisters. They would play behind his house on a huge empty part of the property.
Though the teen years were primarily focused on education, there were plenty of things going on outside of school for Gerald. Because he was so conscientious, Gerald began to understand the meaning of responsibility at an early age. No matter what he was responsible for, he always made sure to be painstakingly meticulous. Gerald learned about the value of working when he got his first job at Malouse Distributors. His first car was a ‘57 Chevy. Gerald also did a bit of traveling during his high school years. He traveled to Long Beach, California to visit extended family there.
College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Gerald handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, he was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his course work and assignments. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. He was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed both his professors and his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served him well throughout college. He attended the University of New Mexico and majored in Electrical Engineering.
There was also life outside of the classroom for Gerald during his college years but his focus was still on photography.
He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Gerald met Josephine Hazel Garcia. Gerald and Hazel met at a graduation party. For their first date they went to Hunick's Lounge and hung out.
Gerald called Hazel on the phone while Hazel was at home and proposed. Being very traditional, Gerald wanted to make sure everything about the upcoming wedding was just right. The couple exchanged vows on October 12, 1996. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family. Their wedding was a family gathering at the Little White Chapel. The bridesmaid was Charlene Pena. Standing up with the groom was Juan Pena. The wedding reception was held at an Italian restaurant with family afterwards.
Following the ceremony, Hazel and Gerald managed to spend some time together on their honeymoon. The honeymoon was spent with granddaughter, Marissa.
Compassionate and devoted to Hazel, Gerald held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Hazel, and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy, no matter where they called home. Their first residence was at the Shadow Ridge Apartments.
In addition to being each other’s best friend, Gerald and Hazel were friends with Michelle and Pete. In addition, they had furry friends, including Chuey, Emma and Baby, all chihuahuas.
Gerald brought the same traditional values by which he lived his life to how he raised his own family. He was a good parent, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. He was also a walking schedule. He always seemed to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. He had six children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, Brandie and Joseph. The children would often fill Gerald with pride and joy because of their accomplishments.
Gerald tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. Later on in life, he was also blessed with thirteen grandchildren, Marissa, Arianna, Adriana, Santana, Alyssa, Michael Jr., Shilo, Jazlyn, Fabian, Giovanni, Isaac, Sophia and Dominic.
Gerald greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. While he worked at several jobs over his lifetime, his primary occupation was working as an upholsterer.
Gerald worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary to meet objectives. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant going the extra mile.
Gerald liked to experience things firsthand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Gerald always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. His pride was his Nascar Collectibles. When it came to cuisine, he particularly enjoyed Frito Pie and red enchiladas. His favorite TV show was Two and a Half Men and his favored movie was Goodfellas. He enjoyed listening to Tex Mex music. But nothing beat his passion for watching Nascar.
Gerald was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith as a Christian. Gerald would participate in bike rides for charities. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.
Gerald Garcia left us on May 25, 2011. He passed away at Centennial Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 56 years old. He was preceded in death by his mother, father and son-in-law, Juan. He is survived by his wife, Josephine; his children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, and Brandie; his 13 grandchildren; his sisters, Debbie and Darlene and his brother, Ted. Services were handled by Palm Northwest Mortuary.
Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Gerald E. Garcia. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.
Gerald came into the world on December 2, 1954. He first greeted the world in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he also grew up in Alemeda. Gerald experienced many things while growing up. He was the son of Arthur and Toni Garcia. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.
Growing up, Gerald was good at working through the usual family problems and spats when they appeared. He was the one person in the family who seemed to be the most able to keep the stress at bay. He was raised with seven siblings; Ronnie, Sue, Ted, Debbie and Darlene. He was the type of person who seemed to be constantly involved in activities with the other members of his family. He enjoyed his annual visit in September to Albuquerque and enjoyed his time with every one of his brothers and sisters. They would start at State Fair and end up at the horse track and always visit his favorite restaurants along the way. Gerald and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but he was always consistently loyal to them.
Gerald's grandparents were Santos and Cassiana Martinez. He was brought up on his grandparent's farm.
As a young child, Gerald was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Instead, he was willing to wait to be asked to join in. When asked, he would generally jump at the chance.
Gerald developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Gerald spent his early school years at Alameda Elementary School.
Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. As a child, he played horse shoes and darts. His hobbies included riding bicycles and carving. He also enjoyed playing Cowboys & Indiana and Tarzan. Gerald had many things he liked to read, including a variety of political and 20th century literature.
Gerald was somewhat reserved about his relationships, but those who became his friends understood that he was true and loyal. His childhood friends included Jimmy, LeRoy, Mario, Pat M., Pat G., and Robert. The used to go swimming at the "Y" and hang out at the lake.
Gerald grew up in a home in a Pamins community, in the country. Pets were an important part of Gerald’s life, especially when it came to his dog, Zero. Zero was a fat, friendly, brown, furry mutt that followed him everywhere and was his loyal companion. Zero would run alongside him as he rode his bike. Gerald enjoyed his vacations but his favorite was camping in Colorado and more recently Redondo Beach, California.
While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Gerald as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. He graduated from West Mesa High School and his favorite class was Photography. While he was serious about his classwork, he also took time to get involved in other aspects of high school as well, like playing basketball. He also enjoyed playing baseball with his friends from the neighborhood and his brothers and sisters. They would play behind his house on a huge empty part of the property.
Though the teen years were primarily focused on education, there were plenty of things going on outside of school for Gerald. Because he was so conscientious, Gerald began to understand the meaning of responsibility at an early age. No matter what he was responsible for, he always made sure to be painstakingly meticulous. Gerald learned about the value of working when he got his first job at Malouse Distributors. His first car was a ‘57 Chevy. Gerald also did a bit of traveling during his high school years. He traveled to Long Beach, California to visit extended family there.
College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Gerald handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, he was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his course work and assignments. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. He was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed both his professors and his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served him well throughout college. He attended the University of New Mexico and majored in Electrical Engineering.
There was also life outside of the classroom for Gerald during his college years but his focus was still on photography.
He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Gerald met Josephine Hazel Garcia. Gerald and Hazel met at a graduation party. For their first date they went to Hunick's Lounge and hung out.
Gerald called Hazel on the phone while Hazel was at home and proposed. Being very traditional, Gerald wanted to make sure everything about the upcoming wedding was just right. The couple exchanged vows on October 12, 1996. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family. Their wedding was a family gathering at the Little White Chapel. The bridesmaid was Charlene Pena. Standing up with the groom was Juan Pena. The wedding reception was held at an Italian restaurant with family afterwards.
Following the ceremony, Hazel and Gerald managed to spend some time together on their honeymoon. The honeymoon was spent with granddaughter, Marissa.
Compassionate and devoted to Hazel, Gerald held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Hazel, and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy, no matter where they called home. Their first residence was at the Shadow Ridge Apartments.
In addition to being each other’s best friend, Gerald and Hazel were friends with Michelle and Pete. In addition, they had furry friends, including Chuey, Emma and Baby, all chihuahuas.
Gerald brought the same traditional values by which he lived his life to how he raised his own family. He was a good parent, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. He was also a walking schedule. He always seemed to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. He had six children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, Brandie and Joseph. The children would often fill Gerald with pride and joy because of their accomplishments.
Gerald tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. Later on in life, he was also blessed with thirteen grandchildren, Marissa, Arianna, Adriana, Santana, Alyssa, Michael Jr., Shilo, Jazlyn, Fabian, Giovanni, Isaac, Sophia and Dominic.
Gerald greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. While he worked at several jobs over his lifetime, his primary occupation was working as an upholsterer.
Gerald worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary to meet objectives. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant going the extra mile.
Gerald liked to experience things firsthand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Gerald always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. His pride was his Nascar Collectibles. When it came to cuisine, he particularly enjoyed Frito Pie and red enchiladas. His favorite TV show was Two and a Half Men and his favored movie was Goodfellas. He enjoyed listening to Tex Mex music. But nothing beat his passion for watching Nascar.
Gerald was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith as a Christian. Gerald would participate in bike rides for charities. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.
Gerald Garcia left us on May 25, 2011. He passed away at Centennial Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 56 years old. He was preceded in death by his mother, father and son-in-law, Juan. He is survived by his wife, Josephine; his children, Michael, Antoinette, Angelo, Charlene, and Brandie; his 13 grandchildren; his sisters, Debbie and Darlene and his brother, Ted. Services were handled by Palm Northwest Mortuary.
Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Gerald E. Garcia. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.
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