Obituary of Richard A. Garcia

Richard A. Garcia, born February 7, 1927 in Merced, California to Tony Garcia and Eva Salas Garcia, died Sunday, February 19, 2012 at his home in Camdenton, Missouri. Richard lived out his youth in the Merced / Visalia area among many friends and family, where in 1942 he joined the U.S. Navy and served aboard the USS Macon Island, a small air craft carrier, commissioned out of San Francisco, California, and toured the Philippines, among other places, until his honorable discharge in 1945. For his military service, his family is truly grateful. He married Donna Riechling around 1948 and they had a daughter whom he loved, named Janice Marie. They divorced some time later. Richard, also known as Sonny to his brothers and sisters, and Pops to his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, married Barbara Ann Corder on August 20, 1955. They had four children, Jon Ward Garcia, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Sean Rachel Garcia (Linville), of Camdenton, Missouri, Keith Aaron Garcia, of Poteau, Oklahoma, and Richard (Ricky) Angelo Garcia, of Lyman, South Carolina. They divorced in 1978. Richard was self employed as a general contractor and a heavy equipment operator for many of his working years. He also worked at several large GM/Chevrolet dealerships in southern California during the mid to late 60�s, where he received many awards and commendations for excellence in service. Dad was generous and hard working, and always wanted the best for those he loved. In 2010, he was honored to participate in the Springfield Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., where he and other veterans toured the WWII Veterans Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Memorial Wall dedicated to those who served and died in the Vietnam conflict, and several other memorial sites. Upon his return home, he said it was one of the highlights of his life. He lived out the remainder of his days with family and friends near.