Ernie Garcia

Ernie Garcia was born on June 12, 1927 in Arizona. His family migrated to Los Angeles then moved up to the Central Valley, settling in Farmersville before moving to Woodlake. They lived north of town until his father died; his mother moved them to Seville where Ernie graduated from the eighth grade. During high school they lived and worked in Redbanks, picking fruit, working in the packing house, driving truck.

His older brother, Augie entered the war, leaving Ernie as the head of the household. He attended WHS for three years and would have graduated with the class of 1946. He married Ernestina in 1945 and was drafted into the Army, where he served from 1945-47. He remains active with AMVETS Post 22 in Visalia. In 2014, he took the Honor Flight to Washington DC and Channel 30 featured him on commercials for several years.

Ernie and Ernestina had four children: Robert, Joe, Ernie and Erlinda. He purchased the property on Magnolia Street and built the house where he lives now. It started out with only one bedroom and enlarged it as his family grew. He worked a variety of jobs, joining the staff of Woodlake Veteran’s Memorial Building 1963-79. Then he worked at FJWhite Learning Center from 1979 until retiring in 1991. Wondering what to do after retiring, he went back to work for the Memorial Building until 2004. He has given countless hours of volunteering to the community. He always loved sports, and served as a member of the chain gang every Friday night during football season.

Ernie has been honored as Grand Marshall of the Woodlake Lions Rodeo Parade. He was honored as Man of the Year in 2003. His name is synonymous with service and love for Woodlake schools.