Delia V Garcia

Born in 1939 to David and Estella Valenzuela in Marfa, Texas, Mom eventually moved to

California’s Imperial Valley to be with her extended family and to join them in their occupation as

migrant farm workers. She attended school in every town she lived in, but there was never a

continuous education for her. That is why she didn’t get her High School diploma in her youth.

While working in the Central Valley, she met a suave, one-eyed man and she was smitten. In

1959, mom married Joseph I. Garcia and that was the beginning of her calling as a loving wife

and mother. It wasn't quite a year into their marriage that she gave birth to her first daughter.

She eventually became the mother of five.

Mom was a devoted Catholic and held a deep love for both the rosary- especially the Divine

Mercy- and for our Mother Mary. As kids, we never missed Mass and we were all educated in

the catechism of the church. We have continued our lives as Catholics thanks to her and Dad’s

strong faith.

Once her kids were in school, she got a job working as a nurse’s aide at the same school we all

attended . She was always there for us when we needed help- and in those rare times when we

needed discipline. Many former students of McKinley Elementary remember her amazing talent

for taking care of them when they were sick or injured and making them feel better in all ways

possible.

And mom had an amazing singing voice! She had a talent for singing that few possess. Many

of our days were spent with mom turning on her radio to KXEX, cleaning house and singing

along perfectly to the Mexican music she so loved. We were all very proud when she would

perform, in front of our friends and teachers, at our school’s Cinco de Mayo assemblies.

Additionally, she joined the Mariachis at all of our big life events- Birthdays, weddings, quinces to

serenade us with music and love. She was also a member of her church’s choir. There she

sang in English, Spanish and Tagalog. She loved worshiping our Lord through music no matter

the event or the language.

Eventually, her school job evolved into her becoming a Migrant Liaison for those families that

struggled with the same problems she encountered in her youth. It was God’s will that our

Mom, who was a migrant worker herself, became one of Central Unified’s aides for migrant

workers. She loved her migrant families. So much so that she went beyond her job description

and became a full-time aid to those families that needed a tremendous amount of help. Her job

didn’t require her to do so many of the things that she did to help these families. During the

work day, she did exactly what the school district asked of her. After hours, she did whatever

she needed so that “her family's” needs were met. Driving them to their appointments, hitting

yard sales to provide clothing for those who were in need, and the list goes on and on.

Eventually, she decided that she needed to get her high school diploma. She enrolled and

attended classes at the Fresno Unified Adult Education program. She worked hard and she

was so proud when her whole family watched her walk across the stage when she graduated.

Then she did what many people do after graduation- she enrolled in classes at Fresno City

College. She always wanted to be able to say that she graduated from high school and went to

college.

After her retirement, she didn’t stop. Dad built a shed in the back yard to hold all of the clothing

that she purchased for distribution. She was so dedicated to her calling that many of her best

friends are from the families that she met while working. As recently as this year, she delivered

large bags of clothing to labor camps in the area. They thought she was selling- she told them it

was free, if they were in need. She prayed with them and also with any homeless, addicted, or

down on their luck people that she encountered. Her love for humanity had no bounds.

Delia was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years Joseph I. Garcia. She is survived by

her children Grace Daniels, Joseph Garcia and his wife Rosie, Greg Garcia and his wife Kristi,

Cecelia Gonzales and her husband Tony, and Phillip Garcia and his wife Rebekah. She is also

survived by her sister Delma Marquez, and her brother David Valenzuela, 12 grandchildren, 7

great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, a lot of “family” that loved her dearly and a

multitude of families that were lucky enough to meet her in the migrant program.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in the memory of Delia V. Garcia to Food For The Poor,

6401 Lyons Road Coconut Creek FL, 33073 or to any Catholic charity of your choice.