Rosendo C. "Roy" Garcia

1942 - 2022

San Benito - Rosendo "Roy" C. Garcia, passed away peacefully at his home in San Benito, TX, early Monday morning, June 20, 2022. He was 80 years old when he passed.

Coach Roy Garcia was born in Olmito, TX. February 27, 1942. He grew up from simple beginnings as migrant workers and lived in Los Fresnos during his childhood days.

Dad, Coach Roy Garcia, was a three-sport star athlete at Los Fresnos High School, where he earned a scholarship to Texas Southmost College. After serving a tour in Germany with the US Army, he married Angie Farias in 1968. He then earned his Bachelors and Masters in Science from East Texas State. He then started his coaching career at Los Fresnos in 1971 as a head baseball coach. In 1972 he was hired to coach football offense line and basketball at Mission High School. Valley basketball would never be the same. He was named Athletic Director in 1978, and still holding the head basketball coaching position, which this combination had never been seen before. He held his own and won 11 district championships and 15 playoff appearances in 28 seasons. He retired in 2001, but the love of basketball runs deep in his blood. After the passing of his first wife Angie in 2003, he took over an unsuccessful basketball program at San Benito High School. He ignited a basketball fire in San Benito leading the Greyhounds to the playoffs three years in a row, which were the first in school history. While in San Benito, Dad, Coach Roy Garcia, met and married Dahlia Perez in 2006.

Coach Roy Garcia's story does not end there. He was soon asked to be the Head Basketball Coach at the new Southwest High School in Pharr, TX. With his old school philosophy of "get after it" and do your best all the time, he established and stamped his Garcia ways onto the Southwest High School court. He retired again in 2015, but came back to the game he loves as a retire-rehire at Sharyland High School, along side his son-in-law, David Keith, as one of his assistants. At Sharyland, he would work during the athletic period, at after school practices, and travel with the team on game days. What a Life! After that season, he would have that same schedule at Nikki Rowe High School for one year, where he coached under Jose Yebra. Coach Roy Garcia then officially retired for the last time from basketball at the high school level in 2018.

He was a loving husband, father, friend, coach, leader, and an individual that will have a legacy that will carry on from generation to generation. As most would say, Dad, Coach, taught more than just basketball, he taught the fundamentals of life to all his players and all who knew him. Coach Roy Garcia taught, and was an example of, life lessons of Character, Family, Discipline, Humility, Hard Work, Never Quit Attitude, Team Work, and Spirituality. He has had many achievements, but the one that stands out the most, and that he was, and will always be, is that he was "A Great Man".

Coach is preceded in death by his parents Angelita Coronado Garcia and Guadalupe Garcia; his first wife and the mother of his children Angelita "Angie" Garcia; his brother Luis Rodriguez; his mother in law Julia R. Perez; and a brother in law Reynaldo Perez. He is survived by his wife Maria Dahlia Perez Garcia; his daughter and sons Roy (Jenny Rae) Garcia, II, Rosette C. (David B.) Keith and Rosman C. (Cynthia L.) Garcia; his grandchildren Kaitlyn, Nathan, Raelynn, Angelynn, Sidra, Callie, Gavin, Lib, Ashton, Kendyl and Vivian; his siblings Frank (Anita) Garcia, Tony (Irene) Garcia, Adan (Lydia) Garcia, Eva Hernandez and Mary (Arturo) Moreno; a host of other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, June 26, 2022 at the Ric Brown Family Funeral Home Chapel in Mission with a rosary to be recited at 6:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. Monday, June 27, 2022 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church with Father Roy Snipes, O.M.I. celebrant. Rite of Committal to follow at Valley Memorial Gardens.