GARCIA, Tanito

Arizona Silver Belt, Globe, AZ Wednesday, July 07, 2010 Tanito Garcia, age 90 of Miami passed away on Monday, June 28, 2010. He was born on August 7, 1919, in Miami, Arizona to Tranquilina (Gaumes) and Reyes Garcia. Tanito was raised and lived his entire life in Miami, working in the construction field for and with the local mines. In the 1940’s, Tanito along with two brothers played for the Globe-Miami Browns, a semi-pro baseball team. The positions he played were pitcher and outfielder, which back then was known as a utility player. Tanito also worked and volunteered at the Miami Senior Center for several years. Tanito enjoyed watching his sons and grandchildren play sports, especially baseball. He enjoyed watching sports on TV. Most of the time when he had company they could find him watching baseball, golf, etc. with the volume turned off, but he always knew what was happening throughout the entire game. In his earlier years, Tanito enjoyed a good game of cards and at the family gatherings you could always find him competing in a friendly arm wrestling match just to show off his age and brawn against the younger family members and friends. He was known to have lost very few matches. It became an obsession to those who arm wrestled him and lost to try to win at least one match, to which very few succeeded. He enjoyed music and loved to dance (to which he had a unique dancing style), he enjoyed camping, and most of all he loved and enjoyed to be with his family. Though Tanito did not carry his heart on his sleeve, his family members and friends always knew that Tanito loved them unconditionally and with all of his heart through his actions and emotions. Tanito leaves behind in loving memory his daughters, Lily (Joe) Rocha of Miami, Arizona, Virginia (Francisco) Ortiz of Miami, Arizona, Paula (Fred) Jimenez of Globe, Arizona, Patsy (Eddie) Martinez of Globe, Arizona, Angie (Adrian) Avila of Mesa, Arizona and Rosemary (Dan) Goar of Miami, Arizona; sons, Felix (Esperanza) Garcia of Mesa, Arizona and Gus (Bridget) Monteverde of Mesa, Arizona; daughter-in-law, Susan Canizales of Miami, Arizona; sisters, Inez Ybarra of California, Transita Miranda of Claypool, Arizona, Felicita Salcido of California and Guadalupe Felix of Glendale, Arizona; brother, Reyes Garcia of California; twenty-six grandchildren and thirty-nine great grandchildren, all of whom will forever treasure the love and memories that Tanito has left them with as a father, brother and grandfather. He was preceded in death by his life partner Esther Monteverde; son, John Canizales; brothers, Juan, Felix and Sebastian Garcia; and sister, Marcellina Garcia. Tanito (Dad, Grandpa, Brother), though we were not ready to say goodbye, today it is our hope and our prayer that you are reunited with those you love and have preceded you in death and that someday we are with you again.