JOSEFINA GARCIA

We lost our beloved mother, Josefina Garcia Zacarias, on August 23, 2022, at the age of eighty-eight. Known to friends and family as “Finita,” she lived a life out of the pages of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. Born on December 27, 1933, she was abandoned at birth by her biological mother and claimed as the natural daughter of relatives, Joaquin Zacarias and his wife Anita. She was raised by a clan of family relations that included her parents, aunts and uncles, and her grandmother, who was a curandera and midwife. From her grandmother, she learned the power of healing found in indigenous plants, and the power of prayer to ward-off evil spirits. Sensitive to the spirit world from an early age, she also learned not to fear the ghostly apparitions that would visit her throughout her life.

Her life’s journey took her from the farm fields of Romita, Guanajuato in central Mexico to the bi-national metropolis of “Los Dos Laredos” on the Texas-Mexico border. As a young woman, Finita worked in the textile factories in Laredo’s warehouse district.  She met her future husband, Armando Garcia Chapa, in the urban plazas of Nuevo Laredo. They married and had seven children in quick succession – Armando Jr., Gabriel, Joaquin, Albino, Jorge, Elizabeth, and Maribel – but their marriage was short-lived. Following the birth of their seventh child, the marriage fell apart. She was forced to flee her home in Nuevo Laredo, with seven children in tow, and make a new life in Laredo as a single mother.

Finita dedicated her life to raising her children and to lifting her family out of poverty. Her hard work taught us to be frugal and careful with personal finances. Through turns and tribulations, she did her best to support her children’s education and taught us to persevere despite any obstacles. She found beauty in nature and shared that love with her family through gardening. Finita always found peace and solace in her garden. Through her example, we learned to appreciate the beauty in nature and in works of art. Beyond that, she inspired us to be curious and to pursue our creative instincts.

Given her circumstances, Finita became very resourceful. She found different uses for every-day items and could stretch meals with her cooking. She was a gifted storyteller who could captivate our attention with tales of buried treasure, of ghosts that co-exist among the living, and stories where the physical and spiritual worlds combined in a most realistic way. One of her greatest gifts to us was to always look for treasure in the ordinary – to transform a piece of driftwood into a work of art, to see the potential in people, to recognize the value of collaboration, or to find common ground in a dispute.

Finita was also a devout woman of faith who believed in the loving power of the Virgin de Guadalupe to touch people’s lives. Her faith in God inspired her children to believe in the goodness in humankind, even when we saw evidence to the contrary. She taught us to live an ethical life.

We will greatly miss you, mama, and are grateful for the many life lessons you taught us.  May you rest in peace and infinite love.

She was preceded in death by her parents Joaquin and Anita Zacarias, son Jorge Garcia and her husband Armando Garcia.

Mrs. Garcia is survived by her children Gabriel (Jordana) Garcia, Elizabeth Garcia, Maribel (†Javier) Sanchez, Albino (Betty) Garcia, Joaquin Garcia, and Armando (Virginia) Garcia, Jr. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives.