Obituary of Lionel Garcia

Lionel Garcia died at his Sunnyvale home on July 15th at the age of 89. A lifelong Bay Area resident, Lionel was born in Los Altos Hills on May 31, 1924 to John and Mary Garcia, originally from the Azores. A graduate of Palo Alto High School and a veteran of the Second World War, Lionel is survived by his son Wayne, daughter Jill, granddaughter Annie, and sisters Alberta, Gloria, and Beverley. As the first-born, Lionel was doted on by his mother Mary, while father John, ever the entrepreneur, built a series of successful business. The Garcias lived briefly in La Honda, as well as on College Avenue in Mayfield, which later became south Palo Alto, before settling down again in Los Altos Hills, as the family grew to include three daughters. It was on College Avenue that Lionel built a go-cart that his sister Alberta discovered had no brakes as she careened down street. As a boy Lionel wasn't very bookish, but he showed a strong talent for drawing, which would later be passed on to his own kids, and in middle school woodshop class he developed a passion for and mastery of woodworking, which continued throughout his life. Immediately after high school, at age 17, he joined the Navy-family history says that he lied about his age on the recruiting forms-and spent the next four years at sea on Merchant Marine ships. Although he never saw direct combat, a Japanese vessel torpedoed one ship he was on, and he once dove off the deck of another ship to swim in the ocean. Thankfully, this foolhardy action did not end in disaster, as this was the young sailor's first "swimming lesson." After the war, while delivering propane gas for his father's business, Garcia Propane, in 1946 he met and fell in love with Anna Mae Lubich. Lionel, or "Johnny," as he introduced himself, was as handsome as Anna Mae was beautiful. The young romantics eloped just three months after their first date, and with the help of Anna Mae's parents, John and Anna, bought a "cute little house" (as Anna Mae always described it) on California Street in Mountain View. The young couple briefly owned a small neighborhood grocery store/gas station on the corner of California and Mariposa-which still operates today-while Lionel worked at, and then owned, the propane "shop," where Anna Mae was bookkeeper. Being young, attractive, vivacious, and givers of great parties, they quickly gained many friends in the neighborhood, where they became legends for their dynamic chemistry on the dance floor. As the family grew, the couple moved with Jill and Wayne to a larger home on Villa Nueva Court, just off Grant Road. The Garcia clan established itself as part of the close-knit neighborhood, and took part in local Portuguese community festivities. Lionel and Anna Mae became well known for their get-togethers and , including New Year's Eve and Halloween costume parties held in their garage, which doubled as a multi-purpose room where Lionel would lift weights with friends, and where he also set up a small wood shop. A skilled handyman, Lionel could hang wallpaper, fix the plumbing and electricity, and created many handmade Christmas decorations, which were arguably the most elaborate on the block. In those days Lionel loved to fish and play golf, and was known as a shrewd opponent in games of poker and cribbage. The Garcia and Lubich families spent many weekends and every holiday together, attended church services at Saint Simon's, and for many years vacationed with friends every summer at a cabin in Lake Tahoe. When the kids grew up, Lionel and Anna Mae retired early, and in 1978 moved to a mobile home park in Sunnyvale, where they once again became a hub of the community, participating in rousing card games and many communal gatherings. They also became a fixture in the "Vagamundos," a group of RV enthusiasts who loved to camp out together, traveling from Pismo Beach to Calgary in Canada. For the next 30-plus years, Lionel and Anna Mae gathered family and friends into their home to share meals, tell funny stories, and remember good times with old friends. Lionel suffered a serious stroke in 2006, and over the next 7 years Anna Mae cared for him through a series of illnesses. When his loving companion of 66 years died in April this year, Lionel missed her tremendously. They are dancing together again in the clouds. Family and friends are invited to share memories at a service at Spangler Mortuary, located at 799 Castro Street Mountain View, on Monday, July 22 at noon. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to an organization of choice.




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