Ret. SGM Angel Garcia-Candal's Obituary
Ret. SGM Angel Garcia-Candal of Gainesville, Florida passed away on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. He was born in San Turce, Puerto Rico on September 30, 1926.
Angel was orphaned at a very young age and raised by a foster family until joining the U.S. Army near the end of WW2. He served his country with honor and distinction, retiring as a senior NCO in 1977.
Soon after moving to Gainesville in 1979, he and his family joined the congregation at Lake Forest Baptist Church where he became a deacon and did everything from administrative work to building maintenance. In his endless pursuit of education, he also attended the University of Florida under the G.I. Bill. Angel eventually took a position with the State of Florida HRS (now known as DCF) as a clerical employee, where he stayed for 10 years before finally retiring for good.
Angel was predeceased by his first wife Carmen Ana Garcia, second wife Lila Roberts Garcia, and son Carlos Alberto Garcia.
He is survived by son David F. Garcia of Vancouver, Washington; daughter Norma Castlen, her husband Charles Castlen of High Springs, Florida, and their children Ana Mango, Jeremy Castlen, and Misty Barnett; son Daniel Garcia, his wife Janet Young Garcia of Quaker City, Ohio and their children Rebekah Garcia, Benjamin (Ashlyn) Garcia, Joel Garcia, and Matthew Garcia.
A visitation will be held on Friday, March 3, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home, 404 N. Main Street, Gainesville, Florida. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at 11:00 am. in the chapel of Williams-Thomas Funeral Home Downtown. A graveside service with military honors will follow at the Forest Meadows Cemetery East, 3700 E. Hawthorne Road, Gainesville, Florida.
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