Two days after hero Texas teacher Irma Garcia was killed as she shielded kids from bullets, her husband Joe Garcia died “of a broken heart” a spokesperson for the family said. The couple leaves four children behind.
Hero teacher’s husband dies of a broken heart
When a gunman stormed into an Uvalde, Texas elementary school on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, and began shooting at students, two teachers took heroic actions, sacrificing their own lives in an attempt to save the children.
Teachers Irma Garcia, 46, and Eva Mireles, 44, both died with children in their arms they were trying to shield from gunfire, the Daily Mail reported. The pair had worked together for five years.
Husband put flowers on wife’s memorial hours before he died
On Thursday morning, Joe Garcia, 50, the husband of slain teacher Irma Garcia, was captured on video placing a vase of red roses at a cross bearing his wife’s name, the New York Post reported. The video footage was posted by KHOU-TV.
The couple had been married 24 years and were high school sweethearts.
Husband’s grief leads to heart attack
A short time after leaving flowers, Joe Garcia returned from the memorial. The Garcias’ nephew, John Martinez, described his uncle’s grief and what happened next in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.
“What happened was my Uncle Joe went to go leave flowers for my Tia (Aunt) Irma, his wife, and whenever he got back, he sat down at the kitchen table with his entire family, and after three minutes, he just fell over,” Martinez said.
“I’m told my mom was giving him chest compressions,” Martinez continued. “It happened around 10 o’clock.”
“They called the ambulance, and I was told they couldn’t bring him back,” Martinez added. “They took him to Uvalde Memorial Hospital. I’m not sure if they confirmed his death at the house or the hospital.”
“I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart, and losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear,” wrote Debra Austin, Irma’s cousin, on a GoFund Me page dedicated to the couple’s four surviving children.
By Thursday night, the online fundraiser had raised nearly $1.6 million, way beyond its modest initial goal of $10,000.
Couple leaves behind four children
Joe and Irma Garcia had been married for 24 years and left behind poor children ranging in age from 12 to 23 years old, the BBC reported.
The oldest son, Cristian, 23, is currently serving in the US Marine Corps, as is his son, Jose, 19, who attended Texas State University. Their eldest daughter Lyliana, 16, is a high school sophomore, while the youngest daughter, Alysandra, 12, is a seventh-grade student, NPR reported.
Irma Garcia was in her 23rd year of teaching and had spent all of them at Robb Elementary School. She was a recipient of the Trinity Prize for Excellence in Education in 2019 from Trinity University, as well as having been previously named teacher of the year.
