Lily D. Garcia was born in Corcoran, CA, on February 6, 1937 to Ben and Rosa Garcia. Our mother passed away peacefully on Thursday afternoon, August 27, 2020.
Mom grew up on a small working ranch off 7th Avenue on the west side of Corcoran where from a very young age, she learned about working hard. She always remembered the years spent with her cousins on the ranch and said that she experienced many life lessons that stayed with her.
Mom married our dad Placido (Pete) Garcia and decided to stay in Corcoran to raise their family. Our family grew to four children, Ron, Matt, Joan, and Janice. Mom was a very devoted wife and mother, serving as Home Room Mother throughout all of our elementary school years and was awarded a Lifetime Membership of the local Parent Teachers Association (PTA). Mom and our dad worshipped at
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Corcoran, where dad was also a Knights of Columbus member.
Mom along with our dad had such a strong belief in higher education for their kids. After having us kids, mom went back to adult school and got her GED. It was a proud moment for all of us back in 1969, and her plan was to start College of Sequoias in the fall.
Unfortunately, as life would have it, in March 1970, mom was widowed at 32 years old with four kids, ages 8-16. Being the strong willed and very focused person that she was, mom always said her goal was to make sure that we all received a college education like our dad and her had planned.
Now becoming the Matriarch of our little family, mom continued to be very involved and supported our school activities, sports, and especially the Corcoran High School Marching Band. When it came to high school, mom’s rules were simple, four full years of band, sports, good grades, and club memberships were a plus. Our mom felt that it would help get us into college, learn teamwork and keep us out of trouble. She was proud that we all attended college and graduated with various degrees.
All of us have memories of our home being the place to hang out growing up. We remember her feeding and welcoming many school friends and the neighborhood kids that were like family.
Mom loved to go on family trips, and travel we did! Both mom and dad were ahead of their times, in wanting to show us a different life than they both had experienced as children. Back in the sixties, it was nothing to find our family hitting the road to Disneyland, Fisherman’s Wharf, Morro Bay, Olvera Street, or just visiting our extended families in southern California. At the age of 78, mom traveled to
Washington DC to experience the monuments, and the sights of New York City which she said was an amazing once in a lifetime journey.
Our mother came from a line of strong women entrepreneurs, starting with her grandma Maria who owned a working ranch back in the 1930’s, her mom Rosa that operated a drive-in restaurant during the
50’s, and then our mom who owned Lil’s Catering Truck and co-owned the Midtown Deli-Mexicatessen in downtown Corcoran for over 12 years. She worked tirelessly in different industries throughout her life and it is where she met many lifelong friends. Mom was a devoted friend to many, loved being a part of their lives, and stood by them through good and bad times.
Lily’s many close friends were the main reason she never wanted to leave her home in Corcoran, because like she would often say, they cared for her, loved her for who she was, and she enjoyed their company.
It would be difficult to list every person, family or friend that played a significant role in our mother’s life, but we would be remiss not to acknowledge Joe Salazar, cousins Jack Rubio, Sue Villanueva, Sylvia Zimmerman, Jesse Garcia, extended family members Eddie Munoz, Bertha Hernandez, Phillip Chavez (Dino) and Sandra Russell. We will always be grateful that they loved our mom unconditionally.
Lily had six siblings, Ben Garcia (Patsy), Jeannie Trejo, Gabe Trejo (D), Marie Romero (Terry), Fidel Trejo, and Jannette Candelaria (Arnold) that she loved growing up and into their older age.
Our mother is survived by her four children, Ron Garcia (Leticia), Matt Garcia (Jennie), Joan Garcia-Smith (Allan) and Janice Chavez (Isauro).
In addition to her four kids, Lily had 9 grandkids that attended or graduated from college, Dr. Veronica Garza (Francisco), Monica Garcia, Anita Magdeleno (Justin), Ericka Trevino (Zeniado), Christina Romero (Joe), Cory Segundo, Deena Chavez, Michael Chavez, and Rebecca Garcia.
Lily’s extra blessings were her great grandkids, Emma Mendez, Nathan Ramirez, Nicholas Garza, Mila Segundo, Ava Magdeleno, Alexis Pinon, Elijah Romero, Christopher Garza, Luke Magdeleno, and Lincoln Trevino.
Mass and Rosary services were held on Saturday, September 5, 2020 starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Immaculate Heart of Mary, located at 10435 W Hanford-Armona Road, in Hanford, California under the Outdoor Pavilion. Burial was held at the Calvary Cemetery, 11680 S. Tenth Avenue, also in Hanford.
