Louis "Long Iron" Cosme Garcia, Sr.

Death tapped Lou Garcia on his shoulder on May 14, 2016, and told him that his ride was here. Having cheated Death several times in his long lifetime, Lou finally shook hands and left. He was surrounded by his loved ones, at his home. That is the way Lou finally accepted Death's terms.

Born on September 27, 1923, to Petra and Bartolo Garcia in Hutchinson, KS, Lou grew up as a child of the Great Depression in the Garden City-Lakin, KS area. He was the oldest of eleven siblings. Life was hard for Lou in Depression Kansas. He helped to raise and support his family in KS during those difficult years. His mother said that she didn't know how they could have survived the Depression without his help. Later, in college, he studied civil engineering until he was called up into the Army in World War II. He served in Okinawa, Japan and returned home to Kansas. There, Lou worked on the railroad doing track maintenance in Kansas and southern Colorado. One day, in La Junta, CO, he met another Depression kid, Bernice Deabueno. They married on August 15, 1950 and were together until Lou's death. A hard-working man all his life, Lou learned roofing in 1950 and established his own roofing company in 1963. Being on a roof was second nature to him, never faltering, he was like a squirrel on a roof. He traveled and roofed all over Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming, including several landmark buildings, among them the original Moby Gym, Poudre Valley Hospital and the Howes Street Post Office. He even did some work for Bohlender Funeral Chapel in the early days. Lou worked hard for 3 seasons each year and took the harsh Colorado winters "off". During his winter months, he loved to bake; cookies were one of his specialties. Although he had served in the U.S. Army, he learned to bake while on the ship that took him to Japan during WWII. In addition to cookies, he loved eating Bernie's Mexican food and her famous barbecue ribs. He was a true romantic and loved to dance to corridos with her at their home. His old golf buddies called him "Long Iron", because he could hit a ball clear to the green. Eagles and birdies feared him when they knew he was on the golf course. He was a charismatic, simple, quiet man with a style that no one could teach. He will be sorely missed by all who loved him and those who called him "Friend".

Lou was preceded in death by his first wife, Florence Perez, with whom he had three children, Barbara, Richard, and Virginia. They had numerous grandchildren, including Brian Garcia of Denver, CO. Survivors include wife, Bernice, three children with Bernice - sons, Louis, and Juan Carlos and a daughter, Donna Schmid. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.

A Memorial Service with military honors will be held Friday, May 20, 2016, 1 p.m.,at Bohlender Funeral Chapel.