Eugene (Gene) Garcia |
| Posted 2021-02-18 by Sharla |
| The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, Arizona February 16, 2021 Eugene 'Gene' Garcia 1948 – Jan. 24, 2021 Eugene “Gene” Garcia, native son of Wickenburg whose local family history dates to the 1880s, passed away suddenly from COVID on the Jan. 24, 2021. Gene was born in Wickenburg in 1948, in the old hospital located at 74 W. Wickenburg Way, now the Soroptimist International Thrift Store. Gene was an avid athlete all through his school years, popular with his peers, and even crowned as “Prom King” in his junior year of high school. Gene graduated from Wickenburg High School in 1966, married his high school sweetheart, Bonnie Jenkins, in 1970, and had two children; Mandy and Matt. Gene completed his bachelor’s degree in accounting finances from the University of Arizona, where he maintained a 4.0 GPA. Gene remained a “Wild Cat” at heart for the rest of his life. Gene resided in Phoenix for several years working for Arthur Anderson CPA and Salt River Project before returning to Wickenburg where he served as the finance officer for the Town of Wickenburg. Gene had always dreamed of owning his own business and left the Town of Wickenburg to take over the family-run restaurant, Anita’s Cocina. He ran Anita’s successfully for five years before selling back to the family. Gene remained in Wickenburg and commuted for work for several years before relocating to Phoenix permanently when he married his second wife, Trudie Sikora, in 2004. Gene worked for the State of Arizona as a budget analyst for several years and eventually retired in 2012. Gene loved Arizona, loved the desert, and spent most of his free time exploring every nook and cranny of the state. Gene liked to traverse the countryside by jeep, he had firsthand knowledge all the secret places around Wickenburg, not common knowledge at the time, to visit. These were special places, old homesteads, mines, and ghost towns; untarnished by modern antique seekers or tramped down by the onslaught of visitors. He loved to work on cars, a skill passed onto him by his father, Adolph Garcia. He spent hours “tinkering” on his vehicles, always had a project on-going. Gene and Trudie loved to gamble and were regular visitors at the local Native American casinos and Laughlin, Nevada. Gene was always game to “risk $10” at any given moment. Gene was a gentle soul who loved animals and nature. He wanted to do his part to save our environment and donated to numerous causes for support. Gene was always the first person to pitch in and help anyone in need, dropping everything to lend a hand. He was a heavily devoted family man. He adored his children and grandchildren; they were his whole world. He is survived by his daughter, Mandy (John) Marshall; son, Matthew (Jacki) Garcia; sister, Chris Mooney; grandchildren, Jamie Marshall, Jessica Marshall, and Caiden Garcia; niece Monica Herndon; nephews Brian and Corbin Mooney; and countless cousins and relatives. Predeceased by wife Trudie Sikora; father Adolph Grijalva Garcia; and mother JoEva Wagnon Garcia. Due to COVID a celebration of life will be held at later date. See Also: Find A Grave |
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