New Delhi: Two days after a fourth grade teacher was shot dead at a school in Texas, her husband has died of a heart attack.
A GoFundMe page, posted by the teacher Irma Garcia’s cousin, says her husband Joe died Thursday morning of a medical emergency. Cousin Debra Austin wrote: “I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart and losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear.”
Garcia was among 21 who were killed when an 18-year-old shooter opened fire in a classroom at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. Nineteen of the dead were children, while Garcia’s fellow teacher Eva Mireles died too.
Her cousin further wrote: “Irma was a wife, a mother of 4, a cousin, a sister a daughter, an aunt and a wonderful person. She would literally do anything for anybody… no questions asked. She loved her classroom kids and died trying to protect them.”
Garcia’s nephew expressed his grief on Twitter: “Lord god please on our family, my tias (aunt) husband passed away this morning due to a heart attack at home he’s with his wife now, these two will make anyone feel loved no matter what they have the purest hearts ever I love you sm tia and tio (uncle) please be with me every step of the way.”
Lord god please on our family, my tias husband passed away this morning due to a heart attack at home he’s with his wife now, these two will make anyone feel loved no matter what they have the purest hearts ever I love you sm tia and tio please be with me every step of the way pic.twitter.com/opivBERMvv
— Joey.mtz (@Joeymtz4) May 26, 2022
On the school’s website, Irma Garcia introduced herself as someone who “loved to BBQ with my husband”. She liked music and taking country cruises to Concan (also in Texas).
She had begun her 23rd year in teaching, all of them at Robb Elementary. She was co-teacher with the other deceased Eva Mireles for five years, Garcia wrote.
She spoke about her children too. Her eldest son Cristian is completing a Marine boot camp and another, Jose, attends Texas State University. Her eldest daughter Lyliana is a sophomore (second year of study) in high school and youngest Alysandra is in the 7th grade.
Tuesday’s massacre is the latest in America’s long history of senseless shootings that has once again brought under focus the country’s lax gun laws.
The shooter Salvador Ramos legally purchased two assault rifles and a lot of ammunition last week for his 18th birthday.
Reports said Ramos was a “bullied loner” with no prior criminal history.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and his wife Jill will visit the mourning Uvalde families on Sunday.
Also read: As Texas massacre reignites gun control debate, a look at deadliest school shootings in history