Ralph Garcia

Ralph was born on December 21, 1957 in Hanford, CA. He was preceded in death by his parents Apolonio and Eva (Hinojosa) Garcia; his brothers Apolonio Jr., Ricky, and Tommy; and his sisters Eleanor and Anita. Ralph is survived by his wife Cindy, daughter Serena, and son Justin and wife Bianca; his brother Robert and wife Cora; his brother Reuben and wife Margie; his sister Virginia and husband Bill; and his sister Sally and husband Dana; and all his nephews, nieces, and god children.

In November 1979, he was married to Cindy (Levario) Garcia in Las Vegas, NV. During the ceremony, Ralph’s in-laws Josephine (Alcoser) Bairstow and Lot Bairstow were also married. Later, at the request of his mother, Ralph and Cindy held a second wedding ceremony in the Catholic Church in December 1979. They welcomed the request as it afforded them the opportunity to celebrate two anniversaries each year.

Within their second year of marriage, Ralph and Cindy were pregnant with their first child. Their daughter, Serena, was born in 1981. In 1983, their son, Justin, was born.

Professionally, Ralph served for 25 years with the Standard Register Company. Ralph worked at the Hanford plant until it closed in 1992. He continued with the company at the Porterville plant until he retired. Ralph often recalled swapping stories and laughs with his friends during their commute in their organized car pool.

He regularly shared stories with friends and family. Ralph recalled the time when he travelled with an ice chest full of homemade burritos that his mother prepared to a live concert with his friends. He recalled listening to LP records in his upstairs room with his brother Reuben. He often shared stories about his Harley Davidson, and going on rides with his friends.

As a Catholic, Ralph attended Sunday mass at St. Brigid Church. Ralph never lost his faith. To be sure, his daily routine involved waking each morning to read his personal Bible. When asked about the number of times he read the Bible cover-to-cover, his latest estimate was seven.

Ralph took pride in caring for his home. He mowed his front and back lawn, watered following a strict schedule, and pruned the trees and shrubs at the end of each growing season often eliciting the help of his son Justin and father-in-law Reuben Levario. In his down time, Ralph could be found in his garage tinkering and listening to the classic rock station. Following dinner, Ralph spent his evenings in his game room lifting weights.

To his family and friends, he is affectionately known as “Ralphie.” For everyone who knew him, Ralph’s life serves as a reminder to love family unconditionally, value close personal friendships, maintain one’s spirituality, live through hard work, and make time to share stories for the purpose of laughing each day.

Funeral Services for Ralph will be held on Tuesday, January 10th at People’s Funeral Chapel; 501 N. Douty St., Hanford, CA. The Visitation, the Rosary and memorial is from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Funeral Mass will follow at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church; 10435 Hanford-Armona Rd., Hanford, CA at 1:00 p.m. with Burial immediately following the Funeral Mass at Calvary Cemetery; 11680 S. 10th Ave., Hanford, CA.

Family and Friends are invited to view Ralph’s legacy at www.peoplesfuneralchapel.com and send condolences to the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ralph’s honor to the National Ataxia Foundation; 2600 Fernbrook Ln. N., Minneapolis, MN 55447 (763) 553-0020 or at www.ataxia.org

Services are under the direction of People’s Funeral Chapel.

PEOPLE’S FUNERAL CHAPEL

501 N. Douty Street * Hanford, CA 93230 * 559-584-5591 * www.peoplesfuneralchapel.com