Raymond V Garcia

RAYMOND V. GARCIA, 78, born October 25, 1937 in Houston, Texas passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 26, 2016. He was a devoted husband, father, friend and a gentle, quiet man. He is preceded in death by his parents, Lillie and Ray Garcia, and sister Delores Sandoval. He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Gloria Garza Garcia; children Raymond Alvin Garcia and wife Christi, grandsons Tyler Ray and wife Kirsten, Shane, and Ross; daughter Susan Garcia Gould and husband Michael; son Randy Garcia and wife Nikki, grandchildren Alexandra and Cameron. He is also survived by his sister Carmen Nieto.

Raymond grew up in the Denver Harbor area of Houston. He was an athlete and excelled in baseball. He was a member of the 1950 little league baseball team that won the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. He continued to play sports throughout his high school career. At Milby High, Ray played football and baseball. He also met the love of his life and high school sweetheart, Gloria Garza. The two began dating in high school and continued their courtship after graduation. They were married for 56 years.

Ray joined the Houston Police Department in 1959 as part of Academy Class #21. He enjoyed a long and illustrious career with HPD. He was the first Hispanic selected to the elite HPD motorcycle unit. As part of this prestigious unit, he was fortunate to meet and escort presidents and dignitaries from all over the world. He dedicated over 40 years to the police force and retired in 2002. He also served his country as a military police officer in the Army.

Raymond was an avid outdoorsman at heart. He enjoyed hunting and had a deer lease in west Texas for many years. He also loved the land. Each summer, he would always venture west to the mountains. He would take his family camping to Colorado where he eventually found the perfect piece of property to call his own. He built a cabin on a small piece of heaven outside Trinidad, Colorado in the Spanish Peaks Mountains. Every year, he looked forward to travelling to Colorado where he could trade the hot Texas summers for the cooler climate.

Gloria and Ray were blessed with 3 children, Ray Jr., Susan and Randy. They grew up in the South Belt community where their parents have resided for over 49 years. Ray was also a loving grandfather. He had 5 grandchildren that loved their “PawPaw” very much. He was kind and loving to each of them, watching his 3 grandsons Tyler, Shane and Ross grow into young adults. He also had the pleasure of enjoying his younger grandchildren, Alexandra and Cameron.

Arrangements: Forest Park Lawndale

Visitation: Friday April 1st, 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Rosary: 7:00 PM

Funeral services: Saturday April 2nd, 10:00 AM

In Lieu of Flowers: The family of Raymond Garcia would greatly appreciate donations made in his honor to

The Houston Police Retired Officers Association

P.O. Box 130787

Houston, TX 77219

(713)802-2967