Benny Montoya Garcia

Benny Montoya Garcia, age 83, passed away Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at the VA Hospice Care Facility. Benny is now at peace after valiantly living with some health challenges. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Anna M. (Lujan) Garcia; their son, Anthony T,. Garcia; and his brother, Arthur Garcia. Benny is survived by his sister, Mela G. Lueras; his children, Angela T. (Garcia) Ortiz and husband Rico I., Alisa M. (Garcia) Valdez and husband Dennis R., Andrew B. Garcia and wife Juanita; grandchildren, Franciso, Cassandra, Jonathan, Miquela, Eric, Marisa, Isaac, Alicia, Isabella, and Andres; great-grandson, Nathan; and a close-knit extended family. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Benny was born in Albuquerque, on May 7, 1930, and lived here his entire life. He attended Lew Wallace Elementary, Lincoln Junior High, and graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1948. After graduating high school, Benny went to California for a short time before he received a job offer to work at Sandia National Laboratories, where he worked for almost 34 years. While working at Sandia, he was drafted to proudly serve in the United States Army during the Korean War. His service was then bridged and he returned to work at Sandia. Shortly afterwards, while working full-time, he completed his Bachelor's of Business Administration at St. Joseph's College (later known as the University of Albuquerque). He was married to Anna Maria Lujan in 1959 and they had celebrated 54 years of marriage on August 8, 2013. He was very active in raising his four children and years later, was a great influence in his grandchildren's lives. He was quite athletic and had played on baseball teams, basketball teams, won awards while on bowling teams, won awards for table tennis, played tennis, and golfed. He also was a softball umpire for a number of years. He later was afflicted with Parkinson's Disease in his late 60's, and handled that with courage and grace. In 2001, he was the fifth person in Albuquerque to have Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery (DBS) which gave him some improved quality of life for a number of years. He can now, in heaven, run freely. He was a strong, quiet man and admired by many, especially his family who loved him deeply. A Rosary will be recited Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 1860 Griegos Rd., NW, Albuquerque. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday at 9:00 a.m. also at the Church. Inurnment will follow at Santa Fe National Cemetery at 12:45 p.m. Military Honors will accorded by the Santa Fe VFW Post #2951 Honor Guard. Benny's care has been entrusted to: Daniels Family Funeral Services ALAMEDA MORTUARY 9420 Fourth St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87114 (505) 898-3160