In the quiet hours of Sunday, October 19, 2025, a life of ninety-eight years came to its rest. Dr. Ruben Erfe Garcia passed away peacefully, as a man who had spent a lifetime easing the fears of others finally laid down his own burdens. He was born on October 15, 1927, in Dagupan, Philippines, the son of Luis Garcia and Josefa Erfe. From the very beginning, there was a calm about him, a quiet strength that would guide him through a world that often asks more of a person than they have to give.
Dr. Garcia found a home in Athens, Georgia, having immigrated there in 1963. His faith was Catholic, and he walked in the light of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Athens as if it were a well-worn road he had traveled many times before. He earned his medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, a testament to a mind that sought to heal, to understand, to comfort.
In 1956, he worked as a medical doctor in Newport News, Virginia, a prelude to the chapter he would begin in Athens. There, in 1963, he joined Athens General Hospital (now Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center) and devoted himself to the Emergency Department. It was a place where moments could hinge on a breath, and he bore the weight of those moments with a dignity that spoke of years of training and a heart cultivated by service. He established his private practice in general medicine in 1972 and after a long steady journey, at the age of 75, retired in 2002.
He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. A man who gave to his family a model of steadiness and grace, even when life pressed in from every side. He is preceded in death by his wife, Lourdes Ruiz Garcia, and by his parents, Luis Garcia and Josefa Erfe. He leaves behind four children: Ricky Ruiz Garcia and Christine, of Manila; Lissa Garcia Hodges, of Snellville; Dr. Ruben Garcia, Jr., and Bobbie, of DeFuniak Springs; and Rene Garcia and Dieter Spiegel, of Seattle. Five grandchildren—Jenifer Hodges, Eric Hodges, Erika Marcos, Chuckie Garcia, and Ashley Sloan, and five great grandchildren—Marty Marcos, Rio Marcos, Sophia Sloan, Olivia Sloan, and Sayuri Garcia.
To the family, the cherished name of Jackie McCall, who cared for him , carried a soft, enduring echo. Her loving care offered a light in what can be a long, dark corridor, and for that, the family is grateful.
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church, 247 United States Highway 331, DeFuniak Springs, Florida 32435, on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 11 a.m., with Father Richard Dawson officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the same church, a place where a community gathers to remind each other that even in absence, there is a gathering of souls.
In the quiet departure of a man who spent his days easing pain and his evenings surrounded by those he loved, we are reminded of the simple truth: a life of service, lived with humility and unwavering resolve, leaves behind more than memories. It leaves a chorus of gratitude, a hand over our hearts, and a story that continues to be told in the voices of those who were touched by his mercy. Dr. Ruben Erfe Garcia didn’t merely treat the sick; he treated the world with a generosity of spirit that will outlive the years he walked upon this earth. May he rest in peace.
