Martin Garza Jr.

McAllen, Texas - Martin Garza Jr. passed away on Saturday, May 6, 2017 in McAllen, Texas after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 51. Marty, as he was affectionately known by his family and friends, is survived by his loving wife Kim Edwards-Garza, his children and step children Jordyn Stephens, Tyler Garza, Rylee Garza, and AJ Tamayo. He is also survived by his parents Minerva "Minnie" and Martin Garza Sr., his mother in law Alice Edwards, his sisters Monica (Eddie) Guzman, Maida (Mark) Mills and numerous nieces and nephews.

Marty was born in Mission, Texas on August 16, 1965. He spent most of his life in Corpus Christi, Texas and as an adult working as a licensed plumber, and as a plant operator in the oil and natural gas industries. Marty had a profound love for Jesus Christ and made crosses out of old fence wood that he would sell at local craft shows. Later when he married his wife Kim, he lived in McAllen. His greatest joy in life was being a dad. He enjoyed attending his children's sporting and UIL events and was very proud of their many achievements and recognitions.

Marty never met a stranger and treated everyone with kindness. He was a true loyal friend to many. He will be remembered for his positive outlook, infectious smile and his entertaining sense of humor. His gift of joy, shown through his constant smiling, laughter, and joking around will never be forgotten.

Marty had a strong will to live. His unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and the love and prayers of his family and friends carried him through his illness. During his illness, he received reports from the physicians that his esophagus that had been ruptured by a medical procedure had been healed on its own and at one point he was declared cancer free. Marty received excellent care from his team of doctors but he attributed the positive outcomes of his illness to the work of God. He enjoyed professing his faith and giving his testimony to encourage others that may have lost their faith.

Visitation will be on Friday, May 12, 2017 from 6 to 9 p.m with a Prayer Service at 7 p.m. that same evening at Seaside Funeral Home Chapel, located at 4357 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, Texas 78412. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at Seaside Funeral Home Reid Chapel with entombment to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to his minor children's education fund through Marty's Go Fund Me Page https://www.gofundme.com/theoldruggedcross.

The family would like to extend a thank you to Dr. Julian Gomez of McAllen, Dr. Joseph Litam of Texas Oncology in McAllen, Ms. Theresa Escobar, RN, and the doctors and staff at Rio Grande Regional Hospital and Lifecare Hospital of South Texas. A special thank you to the members of Destiny Through Christ (DTC) Church of Pharr, Texas, New Life Church of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Tuesday Night Prayer Group at Baptist Temple in McAllen, Texas for the many prayers and visits.