Santiago “Jimmy” Garcia, 59, passed away on August 15, 2022. Jimmy was born on August 19, 1962 to Ferman and Belinda Garcia. Jimmy is survived by his loving family, Priscilla Garcia, Deanndra Garcia, Adrianna Garcia and Sergio Garcia; his sisters and brother, Pamela (Javier) Rodriguez, Jesusa Ramirez, Melba Gonzalez, Ferman (Delma) Garcia, and Iza (Rick) Bowman; several nieces, nephews and cousins. Jimmy was preceded in death by his parents.
Jimmy graduated from Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco High School in 1980. He attended Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI) in Harlingen. Over the past 35 years, he worked at various offshore fabrication facilities including Brown & Root, Gulf Marine Fabricators, McDermott International, Aker Gulf Marine, DeDietrich, and Kiewit Offshore. During this time, he traveled across the country to supervise significant projects some of which were in Pensacola for bridge repairs (due to Hurricane Ivan); New Orleans to install a pumping unit (due to Hurricane Katrina); Puerto Rico to train welders, test welders and to complete the Tren Rubando job (underground subway); Fort Worth/Dallas to repair welds on rails that had defects and had to excavate for the D.A.R.T. Transportation subway. Jimmy took his welding skills to the classroom by becoming a welding instructor for Del Mar College (at Gulf Marine Fabricators) and South Texas Vocational Technical Institute (STVT).
Jimmy was an avid NASCAR fan, collector of NASCAR memorabilia and enjoyed attending NASCAR races. He loved exploring far off places from the comfort of his couch while watching National Geographic. Jimmy also enjoyed watching football, women’s college softball, attending rock concerts, gardening/landscaping, trips with his family, and in his younger days, riding horses and waves. A perfect day for Jimmy was barbequing for his family with an ice-cold coca cola in his hand.
Jimmy’s greatest accomplishment were his children. He was always there for his kids and taught them to enjoy every moment life has to offer. He enjoyed the simplest things in life from riding his bike to making dinner for his family. Jimmy was a man of few words but gave us enough laughs to last a lifetime. No matter what obstacle he faced, Jimmy never backed down from hard work. As a devout Catholic, he lived by the word of God each and every day. Jimmy was one of a kind and will be dearly missed by his family and friends.
Dad, our hearts are broken. Your unconditional love will be missed, but we know your presence will be with us as we reach life’s greatest milestones. We await the day to meet again. We love you.
Pallbearers: Sergio Garcia, Brandon Benavides, Raul Jimenez, Jr., Lee Perez-Gonzalez, Noe A. Gonzalez, Luis Gonzalez, Javier Marcos Rodriguez, and Ferman Garcia.
Visitation will be held Monday, August 22, 2022 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm with a Holy Rosary to be recited at 7 pm at the St. Peter Catholic Church in Ben Bolt, Texas. A funeral mass will be celebrated Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at 10 am at the St. Peter Catholic Church in Ben Bolt, Texas. A burial to follow at Loma Alta Cemetery in Palito Blanco, Texas.
