Adolph S. “Rudy” Garcia, Red Bank, and longtime Fair Haven resident, passed gracefully and peacefully from this earth Oct. 20.
He was born in 1931 in San Jose, California. His mother was widowed young, worked hard and raised Rudy and his two older brothers to all be fine, decent men. He served heroically in the Korean conflict and was honorably discharged as a sergeant first class in the Army. After fighting in Korea, he completed his service at Fort Monmouth where he met the love of his life, a beautiful green-eyed secretary named Mary Rose Maffeo, in October 1953.
They were married in January 1954 and began their love affair and adventures spanning over 54 years. They had three children, worked hard, traveled the world and loved each other deeply until Mary Rose died in 2008. Rudy never stopped loving and missing her.
Rudy worked many years for Bendix, Quindar Electronics and Rockwell/Alcatel and had a long, successful and excellent career as an electrical engineer and eastern regional manager, retiring from Rockwell Industries in 2006.
His main focus was his wife and family whom he cherished. He exemplified the true meaning of the “Greatest Generation”: modest, brave, hardworking, loving and honorable. He was brilliant, kind and funny. A loving and generous husband and father, Rudy loved traveling the world with Mary Rose, a good joke, a dry martini and a great meal. His laugh was infectious and he drew people to him like a magnet. He will be desperately missed.
He is survived by his three loving children, Diane (and Harry) Dangler, Stephen Garcia and Anita Rowe; plus his two beloved grandchildren, John Jr. (Jack) and Katelin (Katie) Rowe; and his older brother Leonard who still lives in California.
Visitation will be Thursday, Oct. 24 from 4-7 p.m. at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank. A funeral service will be held Friday, Oct. 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Entombment will follow at Holmdel Cemetery, Holmdel.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Rudy’s name be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl, Memphis, TN 38105-9959. St. Jude was his patron saint and a cause very close to his heart.
