Luz Garcia Obituary

NOTE: attendees of any services are encouraged to wear bright colors (purple preferred) to celebrate Luz meeting Jesus!
Luz Vitug Garcia, O.P., a member of the Third Order of the Dominican Laity and St. Helena's Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, passed away Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at the age of 77.
Luz was born in Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines, on March 2, 1948. She spent her elementary, primary and high school years at St. Scholastica Academy (formerly called Assumption Academy) in the Philippines. She graduated from the University of Sano Tomas in 1968, with a bachelor's degree in journalism. After college, she worked at the Daily Star and Manila Hilton in the public relations office. Before coming to the United States, Luz taught English Grammer and English Literature to junior and senior high school students at the Holy Rosary Academy. She married Pablo Garcia (USN) in 1972, and came to the States in May 1974, to be with her husband. Luz worked as senior desk clerk at the YMCA hotel in San Diego, California. In Corpus Christi, Texas, she worked as Navy Lodge Supervisor for three years then got hired at the Corpus Christi Army Depot, where she retired as a management analyst in 2008.
Luz loved to travel. In 2006, she organized a 12-day pilgrimage to Rome, Italy; Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France, and Spain with the pastor and parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. She spent one-week vacationing in Paris, France, and another week in Australia and New Zealand. She and her friends took cruises to Alaska, Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Eastern and Western Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Luz and several Legion of Mary members went to Dublin, Ireland, for 17 days to attend the 50th International Eucharistic Congress and to do missionary work. She visited Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and toured seven cities in Spain in 2012. She visited Holy Land twice. In 2014-2015, she and her traveling friends went on an 11-day trip to China and a separate trip to India. In 2017, they attended the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, Philippines, then cruised on to Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, on the way home to the United States.
When not traveling, Luz volunteered at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School and at St. Paul's parish office. She was an active member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Flour Bluff; then moved to St. Helena's Catholic Church. She participated in the Annual Ethnic Festival Planning Committee and did the publicity for the event for several years. She was a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Lector Coordinator, and Eucharistic Adoration Coordinator. Luz was president of the Legion of Mary in the Diocese of Corpus Christi for six years and president of the Legion of Mary at St. Paul's Catholic Church. Luz stated many times that her greatest joy was receiving the Eucharist, spending time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and performing Legion of Mary works such as going door to door, visiting nursing homes on Airline and Wooldridge every Wednesday and Saturday to give communion to the homebound.
Luz was preceded in death by her husband, Pablo; her parents, Juanito and Rufina Vitug; brother Nelson Vitug; and sister Zenaida Vitug Lingad.
She is survived by her two sons, Jason (Marge) and grandchildren Andrew and Sophia of Cincinnato, Ohio; Joshua (Joyce) of Denver, Colorado; nieces and nephews, Teresa/Mark Zimmerman (Nicholas/Joe Parker), Irene/Cal Wong (Keane/Keira) of Huntington Beach, California, Barius Lingad, Joseph Lingad from New York, James and John Vitug from the Philippines and her beloved cousins, the Coronel Family, also from the Philippines.
A visitation will be held from 5-8 PM on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at Maxwell P. Dunne Funeral Service – Yorktown Blvd. The Rosary and Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 AM on Friday, July 18, 2025, at St. Helena's Catholic Church followed by a reception in the church hall. Rites of Christian Burial will begin at 2 PM at Duncan Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, Luz requests prayers and Masses for her and for the holy souls in purgatory, AND attendees of any services are encouraged to wear bright colors (purple preferred) to celebrate Luz meeting Jesus! To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Luz, please visit our floral store.