Eva Garcia

We are deeply saddened by the sudden and peaceful passing of our beloved wife, sister, mother, aunt, and Grandmother Eva Garcia on May 31, 2025. Born in Brownsville, Texas on January 5th, 1958, she is preceded in death by her parents, Alfonso M. Garcia Sr. and Eva V. Garcia, and her brothers Arnold Garcia Sr. and George L. Garcia. She is survived by her husband Panfilo Ledezma Jr., son Lewis Dean Kern, siblings Alfonso M. Garcia Jr. (Wife - Patricia) and Esther Garcia, and family members Panfilo S. Ledezma, Nicholas Anthony Ledezma, and eight grandchildren.

Eva was the youngest of five children and was referred to as "The Baby" long into her adult years by her family. Born in Brownsville, Eva moved with her family to San Antonio in 1959 when her dad got a job at Howard Aero. Eva attended South San High School where she excelled in several sports including basketball, track and volleyball. She earned numerous awards while in high school including First Team All-District for volleyball and "Who's Who in Sports" acknowledging top athletes in the school.

After graduating from South San, Eva attended San Jacinto Jr. College in Pasadena, TX on a volleyball scholarship. She excelled on the Ravens team earning the accolades National Junior College Athletic Association Most Valuable Player and All-Tournament Player in 1976 when they played in the Women's National Championship in Baltimore, MD her freshman year and placed second. She was also awarded National Junior College All-American, All-Conference First Team, and All-Region First Team in 1976 and 1977 consecutively. I addition, she was named team captain her sophomore year for her excellent leadership skills and work ethic.

In 1978, Eva transferred to Lamar University where she played 2 years and excelled there as well but she was not able to finish her last semester to earn her bachelor's degree in physical education. Instead, she found that she had a calling in the restaurant industry and was manager at Casa Ole` in Port Arthur for three and a half years. Moving briefly back to San Antonio in 1980 before making her way to Dallas in 1991, she stayed in the restaurant business as a manager for various establishments. During this time, she also earned a diploma from Mansfield Business School in Word Processing in 1989 to help further her career. In Dallas, she met the father of her son and returned home in 1993 to give birth to Lewis with the support of her family. That relationship ended in 1995, and Eva was left to care for Lewis on her own. Although she faced setbacks, she never gave up and found a way to support herself and Lewis by returning to the restaurant industry that she loved so much. 

Eva and Panfilo met in March 2001 when she applied to work at Applebee's. Both in fact attended South San High School and graduated the same year but they never knew of each other back then as Panfilo was in ROTC and Eva in Athletics, so their paths never crossed. Cupid missed them in high school, but his arrow was true this time as they were together for the rest of her life. 24 amazing years together included lots of good times at Applebee's. Both Eva and Panfilo were recognized for their work earning Employee of the Year - Front of House in 2003 and Excellence in Job Performance in 2006 respectively. The Excellence award came with a cruise to the Bahamas which Eva and Panfilo enjoyed immensely as they earned the much welcome break. Eva left Applebee's in 2008 for a position at Texas Land & Cattle where she stayed until 2010 then moved on to Longhorn Steakhouse where she worked until her passing. Eva was always laughing and joking to break tensions at work. She got along with everyone and was true joy to have around.

When Eva was not working, she enjoyed spending time with her family and friends while also making time for her hobbies. She loved going out dancing or clubbing with her husband and their friends. She enjoyed raising dachshunds with her son Lewis who always helped with their daily care. Eva was a life-long crafter making various items from all kinds of media including shells that she would gather from the beach to make lampshades and other decor. She did sell some of her creations but mostly she made them for friends and family as gifts to show her love for them. After renting for more than 20 years, Eva and Panfilo became homeowners about three years ago. Eva took pride in keeping her space neat and tidy no matter where she was living but especially this home she made with her husband and their sons. She loved to take care of her many plants and even made her own water fountain to accompany them in the front yard.

Eva passed due to complications from colon cancer and cirrhosis of the liver which she had been battling since March 2025.

A good time was always had when Eva was around as she has always been the life of the party. Always quick with a joke and her quintessential boisterous laugh, she always kept you in a good mood no matter the circumstance. She lived a life that was a struggle at times but never allowed her smile or joyfulness to fade even in the worst of times. Life was tough but Eva was always tougher. Her love for her husband, sons, siblings, grandchildren, and friends will never fade just as our love for her will never fade. We find peace knowing that she is no longer in pain.