![]() ![]() A 1940 photograph of Joseph Garcia and Katherine Garcia (née Lujan). “When my grandfather was 16 years old his mother Aurora died of scarlet fever leaving him alone with his stepfather and his kids.”Īt 17 years old Garcia was turned loose to make his way in the world. After they married they moved to Fresno California,” he said. “In Bakersfield, my grandmother met guy who owned a dry-cleaning business. “ He was still a baby when they took the train to Bakersfield California.” Garcia’s mother Aurora had come up from Mexico and lived in a railroad yard,” said his grandson Frank Montoya. “They lived in railroad yard in Kansas City. As a baby of a single mother that was abandoned by her husband, they boarded a train right after WWI and headed for California The centenarian was born in Kansas City in 1919 and has lived though some of the toughest times in our nation’s history. The Veterans Administration said his hearing was compromised due to being a machine gun operator for 18 months during WWII. Garcia’s hearing is gone so he answers questions when they are written on a whiteboard with an erasable marker. During the visit, he also met with Senator Hatch who thanked him for his service. Joe Garcia stand in front of the World War II memorial in Washington, DC, in 2005. Although a celebration is warranted, COVID necessitates a milder approach. The WWII veteran has his own room at the Cache Valley Assisted Living and Memory Care in Providence. PROVIDENCE – Joseph Garcia turns 102 on February 25. ![]()
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