1040 Whitley Ave., Corcoran CA 93212   |   Phone: (559) 992-3115

Richard Darryl Garcia, a longtime Kings County resident who found his life’s work as a husband, father and automobile dealer, died on April 18, 2017, in Los Angeles at the age of 70.

Born in Kingsburg, CA on March 18, 1947, Richard was the oldest child of Gordon and Aldean Mathews Garcia. He grew up with his younger brother Robert and baby sister Janeen on their grandfather’s ranch in eastern Hanford. A 1965 graduate of Hanford High School, Richard was a gifted athlete, excelling in football, basketball and baseball.  His two sons, Scott and Todd, would carry on his athletic prowess at both the high school and collegiate level, the latter a four-year football letterman at Fresno State University during the Pat Hill era.
Following high school graduation, Richard served four years in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam conflict.  He returned home to Kings County, attended College of the Sequoias where he earned an Associate of Arts degree, and worked briefly at Armstrong Rubber Company.  In the early 1970s, urged by a friend, Richard began selling cars at Robert’s Chevrolet on 7th Street in downtown Hanford. He later moved across the street to Kingston Oldsmobile, Buick, GMC. In 1987, the opportunity arose to purchase a dealership down Highway 43, a short 15 minute drive, in Corcoran, CA.  Richard seized the moment, renamed the dealership Richard’s Chevrolet-Pontiac-Buick-Oldsmobile, and never looked back. In addition, Richard would remind employees, vendors and sometimes customers that this is the way he ran the dealership because, “His name is on the building!”  The consummate salesman was active in the day-to-day events at Richard’s Chevrolet until his death, albeit slowed during the past year by his battle with cancer.   He was confident and proud of his two sons taking over the family business. Scott returned after graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, to the Sales Department quickly advancing to General Manager.  Likewise, after Todd’s college graduation  he too returned filling a vacancy in the Service Department quickly advancing to Service Manager.  
The love of his life, Carol Ralston, and Richard were married in January, 1973, and shared over 44 years together at home and in the office. They lived in Hanford until purchasing Richard’s and moved to Corcoran in 1987.  Carol and Richard recently returned to Hanford.
 While his boys were growing up in Corcoran, the devoted father understood the sense of community and giving back to the individuals who supported him.  Richard coached and sponsored YMCA youth sports, basketball, baseball, football, soccer and swimming teams along with numerous local clubs such as 4H.  His longest running coaching “job” was at Corcoran High School where “Coach Garski” assisted varsity basketball coach Mark Hatton for nine years and several Central Valley and State playoff games.  Richard also served on the Corcoran Planning Commission for over 10 years and the Corcoran YMCA Board for nine years.  Richard and Carol were members of Corcoran Guild and the Corcoran 50-50 raising money for Corcoran District Hospital and Corcoran Emergency Aid.  They were named King and Queen of Corcoran for the 2015 Kings County Homecoming Celebration.  Not one to hold back his opinion on the “Car Business,” in 2002, Richard was appointed to the Chevrolet National Dealer Council.

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