Serito "Joe" Hernandez Garcia

Serito “Joe” Hernandez Garcia, 77, lifelong resident of Deming passed away peacefully on Monday, July 20, 2026 at his home surrounded by his loving family. He was born November 23, 1948 in Deming, New Mexico to Serito Garcia and Antonia Hernandez.

On a summer day in Deming, Joe took a lunch break that would change his life. He met a car hop at A&W named Teresa and taught her to drive. When he left for California, Teresa wanted to end their romance. But Joe’s relentless passion was an unstoppable force. He hitchhiked all the way back to Hatch, New Mexico to reconcile with the former Hatch Fiesta Queen. The second time he left for California, Teresa hid herself inside the trunk of his car, stubbornly refusing to let their love die. In California, their hearts became one. But after only 2 weeks of marriage, Joe was drafted into the Army. Still, Teresa got them on the game show “Truth or Consequences “, and an all-expenses paid hotel vacation while Joe was still in boot camp. But their honeymoon was cut short by the demand of service, and Joe ventured into the jungles of Vietnam. Always the rebel, he even broke into the armory against the officer’s wishes, and distributed guns to his unit. For a man who once boldly proclaimed he would live to 100, an Article 15 was mere dust on his shoulder, so long as he was still breathing to receive it.

After surviving the hell of combat, Joe returned to Deming, and fathered 2 sons, Nick and Carlos. His odyssey took him to a California bus stop, where he met Paul Marshall— the man who taught him the roofing trade. Fueled by black coffee and canned meat, Joe earned his living in the sweltering sun, heaving 80-pound bundles of shingles and buckets of boiling asphalt up ladders. After expanding his family with daughters, Joanna and Elizabeth, his fiery ambition manifested into his own company— “JG Roofing”. His grit was put to the test when, in the wake of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, JG Roofing helped to rebuild an Oakland in rubble. But for an all-or-nothing daredevil who never half-way committed to anything, this was all in a day’s work.

The admiring eyes of those he loved would find this tall, wiry man walking on the peaks of 5 story buildings, with a confident swagger, no harness, no hard hat, and a cigarette in his ear. The flash of a lighter flame glowed on the “no smoking sign”. He ignored everyone else’s advice, then quit cold turkey decades later, when he made up his own mind. If he slipped, he would swiftly swing his axe into the roof like an executioner— that was his OSHA. Regulations be damned, Joe wouldn’t burden himself with anything that he did not choose of his own free will. He said being on the roof made him feel “closer to God”. He worked on Christmas Eve, when everyone else was at home, but never on the Sabbath. He prayed every morning and every night— for his family, the deceased, and even his enemies. When he became a grandfather— to Jesse, Bobby, Brent, Julian, Tiara, and Alyssa— he broke the shackles of addiction and devoted his life to AA. He sharpened and honed his sobriety with an unbreakable routine of meetings, readings, and meditations, no matter where he was. He spread his message at conventions as far as Canada, converted his California house into a “sober living home”, and even travelled to Virginia to simultaneously help his son Nick’s journey to sobriety, as well as repair almost a dozen homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Isabel. When he finally retired, he spent 13 years caring for his dementia-stricken Aunt Mary, with the same gentle patience and stoic calm, that had long been an inspiration to his family.

By the time Joe passed away, he was a great-grandfather to Sienna, Serenity, Mateo, Meadow, Luca, Belen, Luke, and Samuel. He’d been married for 56 years. He had been sobered for 32 years. Joe was a man who refused to give up, and always took life on his own terms. His loved ones told him to rest, as his health declined. But at 77 years old, a gray-haired “Papa Joe”— as he’s known to his grandkids— laced up his work boots, climbed up a ladder and got on the roof one last time. He stared at the sun, and into the heavens, satisfied that his strength could still keep up with his determination. And on July 20th, 2026, his lifelong desire to be closer to God, was finally fulfilled.

Joe is survived by his loving wife, Teresa; their children, Nicolas (Starlina) Garcia, Carlos Garcia, JoAnna (Robert) Garcia, and Elizabeth (Jesse) Castro; 2 siblings, Gilbert Garcia and Martha Hernandez; 6 grandchildren, Jesse, Bobby, Brent, Julian, Tiara, and Alyssa; 8 great-grandchildren, Sienna, Serenity, Mateo, Meadow, Luca, Belen, Luke, and Samuel; a special brother-in-law, Mike Vega; former spouses of Nicolas and Carlos, Shelia Allen and Evelyn Montanez; as well as nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Serito and Antonia Garcia, and his brother, Angel Garcia.

A viewing will be held on Monday, July 27, 2026 from 5 to 6 o’clock in the evening at Baca’s Funeral Chapel with the recitation of the Holy Rosary to commence at 6 led by Felicia DeLaO. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 11 o’clock in the morning at Holy Family Catholic Church followed by the rite of committal and interment at Mountain View Cemetery. Fr. Prakasham Babu will be officiating. Military Honors will be accorded by the United States Army.

Receiving the honor to serve as Joe’s pallbearers will be Julian Garcia, Bobby Garcia, Brent Garcia, Andrew Garcia, Isaac Chavez, Matthew Callender.

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