Edvardo Garcia

Edvardo “Eddie” Garcia, was born October 8, 1964, in Karnes City, Texas, on the couch of his family home to his young parents, Estela, age 17, and Manuel, age 23. He was baptized on January 17, 1965, received his First Holy Communion on May 16, 1973, and was confirmed into the Catholic faith on May 10, 1978 at St. Cornelius Catholic Church.

He grew up with his sisters, Mary Snyder and Cindy Baxa, alongside their younger siblings, David Garcia and Amy Martinez. Eddie graduated from Karnes City High School in 1983.

On January 19, 1984, Eddie married Rhonda Walleck. Shortly after, their son Justin Garcia was born on April 3, 1984. Even though their marriage was short, Eddie deeply respected the parenting and guidance that Justin was provided during his absence as a father.

On April 25, 1991, Eddie and Rachel Vradenburg had a son together, Lance Vradenburg.

In 2001, while working at GLI, Eddie met Valerie Friesenhahn in what he often described as a “crazy story” that he loved to tell. Their love grew, and they were civilly married on April 24, 2004. Together they built a beautiful life and family. Their son, Stephen Manuel Garcia, was born on Valentine's Day, 2005. On December 10, 2011, Eddie and Valerie received the blessing of convalidation of their marriage in the Catholic Church at St. Anthony Mary Claret Roman Catholic Church. Then their “miracle daughter,” Edith Rose Lynne Garcia, was born on December 19, 2013, bringing great joy to complete their family.

Eddie was known as a hardworking and dedicated man. Over the years he worked for several companies including GLI, G&K, Iron Mountain, Clean Harbors, and Airtron. He took great pride in his work and was looking forward to an official promotion in the near future that he had been working toward for over a year.

A man of strong faith and service, Eddie was deeply involved to the Knights of Columbus. Throughout his years of service, he held numerous leadership roles including Deputy Grand Knight, Grand Knight, Sir Knight of the Fourth Degree, Trustee, and District Deputy. He served as the Culture of Life Chair and received the Gold ACE Wings for his Pro-Life efforts, which he held in high honor due to his own life experiences. Eddie served as the Texas State Representative at the Supreme Convention in Tennessee. He also served as State Council Programs Committeeman and Silver Rose/Pilgrim Icon Chairman. Eddie was excitedly looking forward to serving a new role in this upcoming fraternal year.

For more than 20 years, Eddie courageously battled diabetes and had previously suffered a heart attack three years ago. Yet through these struggles, he continued to work hard, serve others, and love his family deeply.

On Tuesday, May 10th, Eddie went to work early as he always did. Around 8:00 a.m., he called Valerie to say he was not feeling well and planned to make a doctor’s appointment. Ten minutes later, Valerie texted him and Eddie replied that he was feeling better and that everyone at work was checking on him. When Valerie texted again fifteen minutes later, Eddie did not respond. Soon after, his bosses contacted Valerie to inform her that EMS was transporting Eddie to the Methodist Hospital. Before EMS arrived, several of Eddie’s co-workers—Steve Ament, Laura Alexander, and Daniel Zamarippa—heroically performed CPR in an effort to save him. When EMS arrived, they shocked Eddie five to six times in an attempt to restore his heartbeat.

Although his heart did not return to beating, Eddie’s family asks that his love continue to beat in all who knew him... Life is short. Tell people you love them. Give more hugs. Joke around more. Donate. Share what you have. Call or text someone out of the blue. Share God’s Word through the everyday moments.

Please continue to pray that Eddie is now in Paradise with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and reunited with his earthly father, Manuel Garcia.

Eddie will be remembered for his faith, his dedication to family, his service to others, and the love he shared with everyone around him.

There will be a visitation on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at Porter Loring Mortuary West, 1710 W Loop 1604 N, San Antonio, TX 78251. There will be a rosary immediately following that starts at 7:00 p.m.

There will be a funeral mass on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anthony Mary Claret Roman Catholic Church, 6150 Roft Rd, San Antonio, TX 78253.

Committal service to follow at Resurrection Cemetery at Cordi-Marian, 11624 Culebra Rd, San Antonio, TX 78243