Jack V. Garcia

Jack Victor Garcia, 74, passed away peacefully on October 28th, 2022 at 2:26AM surrounded by his loving family at Saint Joseph Mercy at Trinity Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. Jack was born on December 31,1947 to Orlean Pearl and Joaquin “Jack” Garcia in Weston, West Virginia. He spent his childhood in West Virginia, Texas and Pennsylvania and eventually moved to Michigan where he graduated from North Farmington High School in 1965. In High School Jack played baseball and golf but enjoyed playing hockey the most. He and his friends would gather on neighborhood ponds or rent ice time at arenas in Windsor and Toledo in the middle of the night. After High School graduation he attended Michigan State University for his Bachelor's degree where he met the love of his life, Terry Ann Badgley. Terry and Jack met at a dance and he asked for her number and called her that same night. Terry was the perfect match for Jack because she was smart, strong, empathetic and helped ground him. They immediately started dating and stayed together throughout 4 years of college. Terry and Jack got married on September 4th, 1971 and were married for 51 years. Jack was an active member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity at MSU and led the fraternity team as quarterback to the intercollegiate championship on campus. Jack was drafted into the military and enlisted in the Marine reserves and later the National Guard reserves where he served for 7 years. He was a Lance Corporal and Sharp Shooter. He worked for Texaco during this time but realized he wanted to be a teacher and got a job at Hartland Consolidated Schools in Michigan in 1974 where he enjoyed teaching 3rd grade, 5th grade, and Drama. Jack went back to school studying at University of Michigan where he received his Masters Degree in Educational Administration and continued to work in Hartland for 25 years. Jack and Terry moved to Novi, MI and gave birth to son Kevin Joaquin Garcia in 1978. Seven years later they welcomed their daughter Kaelyn Marie Garcia in 1985. Jack was a supportive and devoted Husband and Father. He had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh especially around the kitchen table enjoying good food and conversation with family. His love of sports continued through coaching many of Kevin and Kaelyn’s teams including baseball, softball, basketball, floor hockey and soccer. He enjoyed the outdoors and walking with Terry and the family dog Scout. On their walks Jack was always a good listener and sounding board for Terry and was thoughtful and protective. Jack enjoyed going to the Ann Arbor Art Fair picking out ceramic mugs and leather goods. He also liked to spend time at the Detroit Institute of Art with the family. Jack liked to go to the Ice Capades and would get tickets yearly. Later in life he enjoyed watching figure skating and ice dancing. Jack was an avid reader and loved poetry. He spent time reading every day and would drop gift hints at books he wanted to read leading up to Christmas and his birthday. Jack cherished taking family trips to Traverse City, Marquette and Petoskey and loved looking for Petoskey stones. He enjoyed spending time in Harbor Springs, the Leelenau Peninsula, Holland, South Haven, and he loved light houses. If there was a light house in the area he had to see it. His favorite light house was Whitefish Point. Jack also enjoyed going to Sarasota, Florida and Disney World. Later, Jack liked visiting Kevin and Kaelyn with Terry in New York where he loved seeing Broadway shows. He also enjoyed seeing plays and shows at Miller Auditorium and the Purple Rose Theater. You could often find Jack watching hockey, tennis and football on television and he always loved watching the MSU-UofM football game every fall. Jack loved to dance and had an intense passion for music. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of music from the 50s, 60s and 70s being able to identify any song or artist. He enjoyed listening to Kevin and Kaelyn’s high school and college music performances. Jack later enjoyed listening to Kevin’s bands The Duhks and The Steel Wheels. In 2016, Jack started to develop serious health issues that limited his ability to do the things he liked to do. As his mobility diminished, he struggled with his physical limitations. He remained optimistic about getting better and would passionately stick to his rehabilitation exercises. His favorite saying was, “you can eat a whole elephant one bite at a time”. He was always appreciative of receiving help from family and friends despite his frustrations. In the last few days of Jack’s life he started wishing everyone Merry Christmas. It was his favorite holiday, so we put up a Christmas tree in his hospital room. He said all he wanted for Christmas was for all of us to be together. So we celebrated Christmas as he passed away telling stories and playing him his favorite music. Jack is survived by his devoted wife Terry Garcia, son Kevin and [Andrea] Garcia, daughter Kaelyn Garcia and [Matthew Shaw], loving sister Angela and [Chuck] Johnson, caring brother Antonio and [Patricia] Garcia, and his loving extended family. Gathering of friends and family at the O'Brien/Sullivan Funeral Home, 41555 Grand River Avenue, Novi, 248-348-1800 on Sunday, December 18, 2022 from 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM, followed by a Memorial Service at 11:00 AM. Luncheon will be held at Rocky's of Northville, 41122 W Seven Mile Road, Northville after service.

Jack V. Garcia

December 31, 1947 - October 28, 2022