The community came together Thursday evening, October 9th, to celebrate the life of Miguel Angel Garcia. Friends and teenagers called him, “Mr. Mike.” Mr. Mike entered the hospital with coronavirus on September 11th and lost his battle with the virus on October 3rd. He was 69.
“Mr. Mike” was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1951. His father, Jose Manuel Garcia, served as a brigadier general in President Batista’s army. In 1959, Fidel Castro led his violent revolution against Batista’s government, murdering thousands in the revolt to gain control.
Once Castro was in control of the government, he rounded up the military leadership who had served under Batista. Mike’s father was one of those sentenced to execution by firing squad. He was saved through government connections, and his sentence was commuted to life in prison.
In 1963, Cuban authorities released Jose Manuel Garcia from prison because of a technicality.
After his release, Jose and his wife Juliana found a way to get their 12-year-old son out of Cuba on a flight to Madrid, Spain, with falsified papers. Mike Garcia had to find ways to support himself for three years in Spain, living under an assumed identity. Meanwhile, Jose, Juliana, and Mike’s younger brother Albert were able to get out of Cuba through help from the CIA.
In 1966, at the age of 15, Mike was finally reunited with his family in Miami. He went on to study at the University of Miami and had a successful career in Miami.
A happy man with a huge personality
Probably this background influenced the man Mike became––one who valued friendship, family, and faith above all. Mike’s son Miguel remembers his father as being big on family. He emphasized, “Everything my father did – he did for us!”
Miguel remembers his father as a happy man with a huge personality, a strong character, and a willingness to go the extra mile for everyone he knew. According to Miguel, his father was always focused on the needs of others.
This concern for family brought Mike, his wife Erica, and youngest son Edward to Habersham County from Miami. When Mike retired as a mechanical engineer, he wanted to find the best place for his youngest son to grow up. The family has lived in Habersham four years now. In that time, Mike has left an indelible impact on the community, especially the baseball team at North Habersham Middle School.
Mike was a constant presence at every ballgame and was a fan of all the players, not just his son. Coach Mike Mills remembers Mike as a respectful, hard-working man who raised his son Edward with those same values.
Given Mike’s connection to the team, it seemed only fitting that his Celebration of Life ceremony be held on the field where the team plays. There, on home plate behind the Aquatic Center in Clarkesville, Jeff Caudell, one of Mike’s best friends, gave a stirring and emotional eulogy. Jeff described Mike as one who always “saw the heart of people, not what they did.” He remembered long discussions of faith with Mike and clings to the hope that they will see each other again in heaven.
Paula Wonders, one of the baseball team mothers, coordinated the Celebration of Life memorial. Paula knew “Mr. Mike” through the team and knew the players would struggle with his sudden death.
Her desire was to honor Mike’s beautiful life. She wanted to have Mike’s story told to “help keep it alive and fill the empty hole his death created in the lives of so many young men.”
A memorial fund has been established to help the Garcia family with medical and housing expenses and their son’s education. Contributions may be made to the Miguel Garcia Memorial Fund at any United Community Bank branch.
