Felipe G. “Phil” Garcia, 86, of Sheffield, passed away suddenly on March 10 at Berkshire Medical Center with his wife Betsy close by.
Born in Colon, Republic of Panama, on September 29, 1938, to Amaro and Oliva Garcia, Phil grew up near the Canal Zone, spending time swimming in the ocean, making countless trips to the library, and doing science experiments in the living room of his parents hotel, much to the wonder of his mother. His love of science and math led him to travel to the United States for college at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1960. While at college he was part of the Theta Xi fraternity and also played bagpipes in the Carnegie Kiltie Band.
After college, Phil became an engineer at Phelps Dodge in New Jersey but was soon drafted into the Army in 1961 and served for three years at Fort Belvoir, Va., as a translator and clerk typist. Soon after his discharge from the Army, he met the love of his life, Elisabeth (Betsy) Ward, and knew within two months of dating he would marry her. He did wait until proudly receiving his United States citizenship in the summer of 1966 before happily marrying her on November 11, 1967.
Over the years, Phil continued to work as an electrical engineer in New Jersey, California, and New York, researching high-voltage transmission cables until his retirement from the Electric Power Research Institute in 1995. In that time, he traveled the world on business trips, made close friendships with co-workers and neighbors, and had many adventures with his family. After retirement, he and his family relocated to Sheffield, where he worked as a long-standing substitute teacher at Monument Mountain High School for 10 years, where he taught Spanish, science, math, woodshop, and whatever else was needed. He loved passing along his knowledge to “his kids” and teaching them the ways of the G.B.F. method. During this time, he also kept up with the engineering world, a Senior Lifetime Member of IEEE.
Outside of work, Phil loved bread making and was known for his challah and “experimental” rolls. Much of his time was also spent listening to classical music while woodworking in the basement, creating fine furniture as well as countless small projects. His engineering side shone through in his ability to fix almost anything and come up with complicated but well executed solutions for what was needed. He could also frequently be found sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, working on complicated physics and math problems for fun on his quadrille pad, pencil in hand, with this reverse polish notation calculator nearby.
Phil leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Betsy; his daughter Rebecca and her husband Darrell Turner of Egremont; a large and loving extended family in Spain and New Jersey; and close friends near and far. He is predeceased by his son David Garcia, his sister Emilia del Rey Garcia and her husband Felipe del Rey, and his niece Dawn Ward-Leszczak.
Family will receive friends on Friday, March 21, from 4 to 6 p.m., at Birches Roy Funeral Home, with a private graveside service on Saturday, March 22, for family and close friends. Donations in Phil’s memory may be made to the Sheffield American Legion or the Sheffield Fire Department in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be made through the funeral home’s website.
