Samuel Catiel Garcia, Sr.

September 8, 1926 ~ August 9, 2012

Pacific Grove ~ After a brief battle with Lymphoma, Sam passed away in his home surrounded by family. He was born in Waialua, Haleiwa, Oahu, HI the third of eight children in 1926. One year later, the family relocated in the Salinas Valley.

Born the second son of Henry Demetria Garcia and Felisa Saavedra Catiel Garcia, Sam worked in the fields on his father’s farms as a teenager. He graduated from Salinas High School where he was an exceptional athlete and held the school record in 120 high hurdles for twenty years. Sam enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1944. He served for the 13th Air Force 414 Fighter Group, was crew chief for the P-47s, P-51s and was one of the first mechanics with the new jets, the P-80 at Clark Field in the Philippines.

In 1950, he married the love of his life, Aurelie Agudo and, in 1958, they moved to Pacific Grove. Together they raised seven children. Sam farmed and drove an 18-wheeler as an owner-operator, but the majority of his employment was spent at Holman’s Department Store where he worked for nearly 30 years.

Sam enjoyed golfing, fishing on the Klamath and traveling for extended stays in Hilo, HI with Aurelie. Musically inclined, his love for the ukulele stayed with him until his dying moments, playing the morning before his death. His love for his family was immeasurable.

A compassionate and loving man Sam leaves behind Aurelie, his wife of 62 years. He also leaves children; Samuel (Susie) Garcia Jr., Henrietta (Mike) Stockton, Jean (Mike) Cordero, Phyllis (Timo) Mageau, Leslie (Carl) Chase, George (Leslie) Garcia and Joe (Gail) Garcia; twelve grandchildren and six great-grandchildren with one more on the way. In addition, his sisters, Virginia Randall, Marjorie Andrade and Dorothy Briones survive him along with many nieces, nephews and other loving relatives.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated this Saturday, August 18 at 1:00 PM at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Pacific Grove. A reception will immediately follow in the parish hall. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundaiton, PO Box 849, Marina, CA 93933.