A great man has left us. The world will not be the same without him. Last Thursday Dr. Efrain Garcia took his last breath under the watchful care of his daughters. There is so much to say about this incredible man that words seem inadequate. How does one describe a living saint, a loving husband, father, friend, doctor, educator and humanitarian? Dr. Garcia was one of the most talented and dedicated cardiologists to ever work in the Houston Medical Center. His extraordinary skills brought kings and presidents and people from far and wide seeking his help. His story is the stuff of legends and yet he was a humble man who epitomized the virtuous life. He healed the hearts of those afflicted with disease and brought comfort to them as well . 

Efrain Garcia grew up in the mountains of Puerto Rico in the town of Lares. His was a large and happy family that somehow knew that he would do something special even when he was still a young boy. He was earnest and kind and brilliant. He finished undergraduate studies early and then entered the University of Puerto Rico College of Medicine where he became the youngest person ever to graduate from there with a medical degree. He joined the army to continue his training as a cardiologist, serving in Korea and Japan and working at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas where he met his future wife, Rosemary. 

Efrain and Rosemary, a beautiful nurse from Chicago, were married on my husband Mike’s eleventh birthday. Mike attended the celebration with his mother and father, who was Efrain’s “brother” cousin and close friend. He remembers the celebration with great joy because the newlyweds brought out a special cake for him and the wedding guests sang Happy Birthday. It was so like Efrain and Rosemary to think of others even on their special day. Theirs would be a blessed and generous union resulting in the births of five beautiful daughters who were the center of their lives.

I met Efrain Garcia when I was engaged to marry Mike. I was immediately enchanted with him. He was handsome, wise, and charming in a quiet and understated way. I loved listening to him or just sitting beside him and soaking in his calmness and stunning intellect. He was a man who measured his words to be certain that they adequately represented what he wanted to convey. He possessed an unassuming and reassuring strength that made everyone feel protected and loved in his presence. 

Over the years my admiration for our “Uncle” Efrain only grew. I witnessed his brilliance as a renowned cardiologist and his devotion to family. I marveled at his tirelessness in caring for people. Sometimes he would have sleepless nights working in St. Luke’s Hospital ministering to a patient. He would often catch up on his rest with brief naps sitting in a chair while his family bustled about. Somehow in spite of his busy life he managed to balance his ever more time consuming career with time spent with those he most treasured. Mike and I were lucky to be among that group.

Dr. Efrain Garcia worked for Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in the early days of its creation. He was a founding member of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Hospital and eventually became its director. Along with Dr. Robert Hall he opened Hall/Garcia Cardiology, one of the most renowned cardiology associations in the nation. He was instrumental in extending the lives of thousands of people including my mother-in-law who had been born with a heart defect that might otherwise have caused her death before she reached the age of thirty. Instead, with his guidance and care she lived to be seventy six years old. 

Dr. Garcia was also the cardiologist for our next door neighbor, Dave Turner, who credited the good doctor with saving has life multiple times. Those who visited with Efrain professionally knew that he was compassionate, honest, and knowledgeable. He was a gifted diagnostician with an uncanny ability to explain what he had found in a kind but frank manner. Even after he had retired Dr. Garcia continued to provide his expertise without remuneration to the indigent patients of San Jose Clinic. 

Once Mike and I had both retired from our own careers Efrain and Rosemary invited us to accompany them to classes at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Sometimes we would meet early to have dinner before heading for the theological lessons. I loved those moments when Efrain quietly discussed his philosophies about life. This is when I really began to know him as an exceptional human with a heart so expansive that it touched people far and wide. It was a gift just to be in his presence and I often found myself thinking that he had indeed been sent to this world by God to perform his good works, something his family had sensed even when he was a little boy. 

Eventually Efrain’s wife Rosemary became more and more ill. Efrain’s devotion to her was inspiring, The two of them moved to a home for seniors where Mike and I enjoyed visiting them until the pandemic came and we were no longer allowed. Rosemary died in 2022 and it was apparent at her funeral that Efrain was not feeling well. His own heart had begun to fail and he knew all too well what his future would be. He began gently helping those who loved him to understand that he was dying. He did this so bravely and with his usual gentleness. It was as though he was more concerned about how everyone was feeling than about himself. 

There is a gaping void in the world today. Dr. Efrain Garcia has died. He was a giant among us. His spirit resides in the comforting memories that we have of him. His contribution to the human experience is present in the thousands of families that he helped and the countless doctors that he trained. Mostly his influence resides in his daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren. He was one of the greatest people that anyone who knew him will ever find. His was a life well lived and he shared it with a generous heart.