Maria M Garcia

Maria Magdalena Garcia passed away at her home as she requested after a yearlong battle with liver cancer. She was born in San Benito, Texas on July 22, 1938. She moved to east Chicago, Indiana in 1951, later married and moved to Gary, Indiana where she raised five children. Her final years were spend living in Crown Point, Indiana with her oldest son. She is preceded in death by her parents, Juan and Maria, and her husband, Heberto. Maria enjoyed loving her grandchildren and great grandchildren more than anything, they were her life’s joy. She shared her love with food. Anyone who visited her was sure to get a home cooked meal, prepared and served by her, because it was her great pleasure. She was most known for making homemade flour tortillas. Her greatest joys were sewing, crocheting, watching El Gordo y La Flaca, Wheel of Fortune, soccer on television and cooking with and for her family. She had a green thumb and did an incredible job growing plants. Maria was an amazing shopper and avid gambler; She could easily play five bingo cards at one time. Her favorite casino machines included Triple 7’s and Lucky Diamonds. She enjoyed tapping and caressing the machines as to increase her luck. She was very smart, stern, stubborn, sweet, kind, and very sassy, and did we mention… STERN. Maria remained joyous until the end. She never demanded much of anyone and loved unconditionally. Those closest to her knew that while she kept busy cooking or washing dishes, she enjoyed eavesdropping on gossip and dirty jokes that included swearing while pretending not to be engaged, but her sudden burst of laughter would always give her away. She was also known for offering all simple advice: listen to your parents, be kind, be nice, be humble, be compassionate, do your homework, clean your room, study well, work hard and don’t drink were among her most often mentioned pearls of wisdom. She is survived by five children, Heberto (Madelyn Michaels), Raul (Martha), Javier (Myrna), Leticia (Vicente), and Adrian (Lisa), and a sister Micaela Escalante, Fifteen grandchildren: Georgina (Brian), Corina (Chris), Cristina (Aaron), Maria (Fernando), Aleida (James), Nicole, Vicente (Claudia), Christian (Beatriz), Anel (Joseph), Analis (Martin), Adriana, Anna Celine, Eric, Andrew (Sarah) and Ernesto, and seventeen great-grandchildren: Alexis, Maxwell, Cameron, Calista, Cayden, Aaron, Amalia, Eden, Leonel, Layla, Mikyla, Emma, Noah, Nor, Lola, Lorenzo, and Emelia; and numerous nieces and nephews. Please join us in celebrating her life on Friday November 29, 2019, at Burns Funeral Home in Crown Point, Indiana between 2 and 6 pm. Funeral will be held on Saturday November, 30th, 2019 at 10am with interment at Historical Maplewood Cemetery in Crown Point, Indiana. A luncheon to follow at Teibel’s Family Restaurant in Schererville, Indiana. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to your favorite charity. www.burnsfuneral.com

Maria M Garcia

July 22, 1938 - November 27, 2019