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Girl, 16, Left Orphaned When Her Mom Was Killed In Uvalde School Before Her Dad Died Of A Broken Heart
“Your names will not be forgotten.”
Lyliana Garcia became an orphan just a few days ago after the Uvalde school shooting took away her mother, Irma Garcia – and essentially – her father, Joe Garcia, with her. The 16-year-old penned a powerful, touching message for her parents in the wake of the Robb Elementary School tragedy.
Irma Garcia was one of the two teachers who died from shielding their students from Salvador Ramos, who went on a rampage in their class.
Irma left behind a husband of 25 years and four children, two of whom were still not of age. The 48-year-old shielded her students from the rain of bullets alongside fellow teacher Eva Mireles, 44.
19 students, 2 teachers, and the gunman himself died after the event.
On the day of his death, Joe was seen bringing a bouquet of red roses to the memorial site at Uvalde, Texas.
Joe Garcia visited his wife’s memorial this morning to place flowers on a cross with her name on it. Joe is the husband to Irma Garcia. Not long after Joe visited Irma’s memorial, he suffered a heart attack and died.
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 26, 2022
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Just hours later, Joe passed away from a heart attack that his family attributed to grieving the loss of the love of his life. The couple left behind Cristian, 23, Jose, 19, Lyliana, 16, and Alysandra, 12.
Irma’s cousin, Debra Austin, who started the crowdfunding for Irma while Joe was still alive, updated on the GoFundme page, “I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart, and losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear.”
Lyliana penned a message at the memorial for his father.
“Dad, I know this was too much for you. Your heart could not take it. I will spend the rest of my life fighting for you and mom. Your names will not be forgotten. Your daughter, Lyliana”
Irma’s son, Jose, recalled how his mother “treated her students as her own.”
“They were her lifeblood. She loved engaging with children and teaching them. She loved her job and she loved her co-workers,” he added. Garcia was a finalist for Trinity University’s prize for excellence in teaching in 2019.
Father Eduardo Morales blessed the three children who managed to attend the service and told them, “We are your family. Your mother and father will always find a way to take care of you.”
The eldest, Cristian, was at a military boot camp. The second eldest, Jose, was attending Texas State University.
The story of how 21 lives were lost at the hand of an 18-year-old who managed to get himself an AR-15 rifle shocked the nation.
The couple is pictured with their son, Cristian. This incident has incited yet another wave of criticisms against the Second Amendment.
A GoFundMe set up for the family has received close to $2.7 million in support for the four siblings who were left behind.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has confirmed that the gunman had shot his grandmother in the face before leaving for the elementary school. But his grandmother, now in critical condition, managed to phone 911 about the incident.
