Johnny "Sugar" Garcia, Jr.

John “Sugar” Garcia, was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 1958, in Phoenix, Arizona. He passed away at home on Sunday, February 25, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife, Tina, his parents, Mary “Cookie” and Johnny “Shorty” Garcia, his brother Al “Capone” Garcia, and younger sister Cindy Bauerle. John was a dedicated father to his children Johnny Garcia III, Margarita Garcia, and Nick Garcia (Lauren). He adored his time with his grandchildren, Carter, Madison, and Sienna.

Raised in South Phoenix, Sugar graduated from South Mountain High School in 1976. He went on to obtain his Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in 1995.

John worked at Honeywell in Tempe for over 40 years until he retired in 2020. He was an avid runner, completing two marathons and countless half marathons and 10K’s, waking up early every day to run six miles before breakfast. Sugar was a sports fan; always cheering for the Sun Devils, Cardinals, Suns and Diamondbacks. He owned and loved his Chevy Silverado trucks and spoke fondly of the Marauders truck club he belonged to “back in the day”.

While John and Tina always loved traveling, they were thrilled to do so much more extensively when they retired. They traveled from Alaska to Germany and so many places in between. John never met an ice cream cone he didn’t like, evident in countless travel photos of him, cone in hand. But as much as John loved ice cream, nothing compared to the love he had for his family and friends.

Tina was the love of his life and constant companion. Engaged after their second date, they built a legacy of friends and family over 36 years together. Sugar never encountered a stranger—once he met you, he was immediately your friend. Sugar and his close-knit high school friends treasured their several-times-per-year fishing trips to the White Mountains and Rocky Point, weekends he counted among his best. He was very close to his mom and dad, talking on the phone daily. John was especially proud of his children, bragging about their accomplishments to anyone that would listen. But those grandchildren, they had an extra special place in his heart, and we know he has a special place in theirs.

John was loved by so many. He always had a smile on his face and saw the positive in life. He will be missed by those who knew and loved him.

There will be a Celebration of Life at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road, on Friday, March 8th at 10:00 a.m. A luncheon to follow at Aunt Chilada’s, 7330 North Dreamy Draw Drive.

In lieu of any gifts or flowers, donations in John’s name can be made to the American Cancer Society.