Leopoldo Garcia

Leopoldo Garcia was born October 11, 1928 in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. He came to the border city of Ciudad Juarez in the 1950’s. There he held a day job as a shoe maker apprentice and bartender at night at the Tupinamba Club. At the Club they nicknamed him “El Consul” because he was going through all the red tape in becoming a U.S. resident. As he learned the ropes, he was paving the way and guiding others on the process. As a man of perseverance, he promptly succeeded in becoming a permanent resident and much later (1995) a U.S. citizen. His first job in El Paso was at The Plaza Theatre as custodian. He also took a side job as photographer that in those days, walked around downtown taking black and white photos, running to develop them and rushing back to sell them before the night was over. One of the most popular places to go clubbing back then was called The Hollywood Café on San Antonio Street. Not only did Leopoldo take pictures, but met and remained lifelong friends with people he met there. In 1955 he hired on with Billy The Kid Manufacturing Company. During this time he bought his first automobile, a 1949 Ford, and learned to drive. He displayed such a positive energy, whistling as he worked, that he was affectionately nicknamed “El Pajarito” by his coworkers. The company name later changed to Hortex Manufacturing Company and he remained there, strong and steady, until he retired in 1987 as a Marker in the Cutting Pattern Department. Leopoldo and Maria Refugio Lozoya (“Cuca”) raised the next generation of independent thinkers and good people. He and Cuca had seven children, Javier Garcia (married to Socorro); Rosa Torres (Santiago), Susie Flores (Francisco), Amanda Cervantes (Ramon), Pat Garcia, Leo Garcia (Rosa) and René (Marcela). The Garcia family has multiplied and now has 16 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and two great, great grandchildren. Leopoldo always maintained a loving relationship with his three sisters, Guadalupe Zavala, Jesusita Beltran, and Cristina Cuellar and their families. As a confident, self-reliant and determined man, Leopoldo was able to ride out the toughest storms. He purchased the family’s first home in the early 1960’s. He battled the floods at the Lincoln Center neighborhood until the City bought him out after the devastating Flood of 2006! From there he relocated his family to the Loretto area and was able to sleep through the night, come hell or high water! Leopoldo always had a positive, bright mood that was contagious. Whether he was managing a baseball team in Cd. Juarez or Ascarate Park; volunteering at the Lincoln Center Neighborhood Improvement Association; Guardian Angel Catholic Church bazaars; or passing out groceries at the Food Bank; he inspired all by his unique character and sparkling zest for life. He was a Dodgers, Cowboys, and Chivas fan, but sported each and every baseball cap possible, as long as the color matched his outfit. Photography became Leopoldo’s lasting hobby. Some of his last photo shoots were at Hilos de Plata Senior Center where he attended and socialized. During his lifetime, he captured beautiful memories in taking endless pictures at family gatherings and important events. For Leopoldo, photography was a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What he caught on film is captured forever for his family and friends. Pictures memorialize a moment in time that will never happen again, but serve as a reminder of the exact feeling and emotion felt when the shutter went off. These images let us remember even little things, long after we thought we had forgotten. Leopoldo blessed his family with the wonderful gift of his photography, thereby communicating his love with every picture taken.