Raymond A. Garcia

August 14, 1936 - April 27, 2025

Madison - Raymond A. Garcia passed away the evening of April 27, 2025, surrounded by loving family sharing stories and music. He was born in the summer of 1936 and grew up in and around Honolulu, Hawaii. Ray was joined in marriage to Dorothy Lovrine in 1969.

After leaving graduate school with two Masters degrees, Ray became a mathematics and computer science teacher at Madison Area Technical College, which was his career and calling until his retirement nearly 25 years ago. Throughout his years at MATC, he took joy in teaching both basic and advanced math to people of all walks of life, strived to remember the names of his students many years later, and always pressed for comprehension over rote learning. He enjoyed photography, statistical challenges, quantum physics and cosmology throughout his life, and traveled the world with his wife in their retirement. Together they raised six children, taught them that luck is opportunity meeting preparation, and showed the forethought and determination to familiarize them with computing technology over a decade before the Internet. Ray was always thoughtful, trusting, generous, curious and innovative. He looked forward to exploring the full breadth of the cosmos in all its dimensions.

Ray is survived by his wife and love of his life Dorothy; their six sons: Ray K. (Meredith), Tony, David Church (Melody), Keaka Jeardeau (Amy), Joe (Signe), Matt (Sara); their grandchildren: Dennis III (Zoe), Samantha, Tori, Cheska, Avery, Ellis, Hans, McGregor; and great-grandchildren: Adeline, Antoinette and Dennis IV.

Per Ray's wishes, his private celebration of life has already taken place on April 30th. In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations may be made to Agrace Hospice Care (https://www.agrace.org/donate/). Should you wish to take time in remembrance of Ray, please don your most colorful, floral attire and enjoy listening to some Hui Ohana folk music (https://tinyurl.com/AlohaRay). Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

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Published by Madison.com on May 4, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for Raymond Garcia

Sponsored by Cress Funeral & Cremation Service - Madison - Far West.

3 Entries

Charisse Webb

May 12, 2025

To the Family of Mr. Garcia,

I want to extend my deepest condolences and share what a profound impact Mr. Garcia had on my life. Before I met him, math felt like an impossible language — I had struggled with it for years and began to believe I simply couldn’t learn. Then came Mr. Garcia. With patience, clarity, and genuine care, he helped me understand what had always seemed out of reach.

Thanks to the foundation he gave me, I was able to pursue a career in healthcare, eventually working in a trauma ICU where quick, accurate thinking — including math — often meant the difference between life and death. The skills Mr. Garcia taught me helped save lives.

Whenever I think of outstanding educators, he is the first person who comes to mind. His ability to truly teach, to inspire confidence, and to change a life is something I will always carry with me. His memory lives on in the countless people touched not only by his students, but by those their work went on to impact.

With heartfelt gratitude,
Charisse Reott Webb RN

Mary D.

May 5, 2025

I had Mr. Garcia as my College Algebra instructor. Math was always tough for me. Mr. Garcia was patient and did a GREAT job teaching his subject. Somehow he got me to understand a subject that had always confused me and, to be honest, made me feel stupid for not getting it. For the first and only time in my life, I earned an "A" in Math. I thanked him Thames and now for being an amazing person and teacher!

Cathy Cuccia

May 4, 2025

Mr. Garcia was my Calculus instructor at Madison Area Technical College back in the mid 1980's. I attended classes at night and worked full time during the day. Mr. Garcia was a kind, patient, and thoughtful instructor who cared about his students. I recall a few times one of his young sons was in class with him, quietly sitting in the back. When Mr. Garcia gave us students math problems to work through, his young son would also work the problem and often had the answer before we did! Thanks to Mr. Garcia, I passed Calculus and went on to obtain a BA degree in Business Administration. I retired 6 years ago from UW-Madison where I worked as an IT specialist for the Division of Information Technology. I am so sorry for your loss. He was a wonderful teacher.

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