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Obituary (CA): Abel Adolfo Garcia '63

Posted on 01/27/2018

Abel Adolfo Garcia, 76, passed away, Friday, December 22, 2017 at his home. To celebrate Abel's life, a memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 2 pm at the Graham-Hitch Mortuary located at 4167 First Street, Pleasanton, CA 94566. A reception will immediately follow the service. We look forward to family and friends coming to celebrate Abel's lifetime of friendships and accomplishments, in addition to his military, government and community service.

Abel was born February 3, 1941 in Benavides, Texas to Adolfo Oliveira Garcia and Maria Aminta Yzaguirre, and had two younger siblings, Diane and Joel. He graduated as valedictorian from Sundeen High School in 1959 and from the United States Naval Academy in 1963 with a degree in naval science & engineering. On June 10, 1963 he married the former Ginette Ratté in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. After serving in the Navy as a lieutenant in various roles in the Pacific and Southeast Asia theaters, Abel left the Navy and over the course of his career worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (both at the Nevada Test Site and at LLNL's main campus in Livermore) as well as in private industry performing technical risk analysis across various industries. Abel retired from LLNL in 2008.

Abel was one of the world's foremost mechanical puzzle collectors, amassing a large collection including artisan crafted puzzles of all types as well as an impressive library spanning 200 years of puzzle history and development. He was also intimately involved in the formation and expansion of the International Puzzle Party, an annual gathering of puzzle collectors and designers from around the world, now in its 38th year. Abel's other interests included hiking throughout the Bay Area and extensive international travel. He also enjoyed reading and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Abel is survived by his two sons, Adrian Garcia and his wife Elizabeth of Sugar Land, TX, and Stefan Garcia and his wife Angela of Lafayette, CA; five grandchildren, his brother Joel Page of Chevy Chase, MD, and several nieces and nephews.

 

Published in East Bay Times on Jan. 27, 2018