Ruben Garcia Gutierrez

June 25, 1906 - April 17, 2016

Ruben Garcia Gutiérrez was born on June 25, 1909, near the town of Ancihuacuaro, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. At 17, he embarked upon a life journey, coming to "el norte" with his father and brother. They crossed back and forth into Texas and beyond. Over several seasons, he worked throughout the Southwest on many railroad projects. He was always diligent in his work, and was recognized for it, even to the point of being asked to serve as foreman over a group of men, many of whom were much older. Despite his short stature (his nickname was "Shorty" at the time), he felt he could complete any railroad assignment and did so by believing that everything had a trick to it ("Cada cosa tiene su mania"); a lesson he taught all his family. During WW II, he returned to the United States under the "Bracero" program, and was stationed in a work camp in Goleta. There he not only harvested fruit for the government program, but also accepted offers from private contractors to work extra shifts at other farms. Once again, his hard work was recognized and he was made head of his work group, and served for several years as the camp manager, running the daily affairs of the kitchen, dormitories and processing new workers. In addition, he also sought out extra work as a barber and even side cook (his tortillas were legendary). He was a devoted Catholic, and attended Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. There, Loreto Granados caught his eye and she eventually became his wife of more than 65 years. He always tried to provide for his family, working at various jobs, eventually venturing out on his own to start his small gardening business which he ran for many decades. He cared for the gardens of many local homes and businesses, including designing the original gardens of places such as Bray's 101 and even the El Encanto Restaurant and Hotel. In fact, he planted many of the significant gardens and trees in our area (such as the trees that line the main entrance at El Capitan campgrounds). He became famous for running around in his '57 Chevy truck, a truck he later restored. He was a tireless worker, being viewed by his family and many others as a "man who came to work hard". Over his 106 years, he lived a good, honest, and honorable life, joking with a tremendous range of people from millionaires to the likes of Pancho Villa. He was a man of few, select words, but when he spoke, people listened. He taught his family if one worked hard enough, and treated people with respect so they would be respectful, one could achieve whatever this world had to offer. He was an inspiration to all his family and friends, being seen in his later years as someone to seek out for counsel and prayer. As a widower, he is survived by children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren too numerous to name. "Que descanse en paz Papá" Visitation will be Friday from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at the Welch-Ryce-Haider downtown Chapel. A rosary will be held on Friday, 7:00 pm at Our Lady of Sorrows. Mass will be held Saturday, 10:00 am at Our Lady of Sorrows with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery.