City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Gregory N Garcia
Sanford, North Carolina
Age 81.
Died 11/11/2024.
July 23, 1943 – November 11, 2024
Greg passed peacefully into Heavenly rest at his home in Sanford, North Carolina following a long, hard battle with cancer with his family at his side.
Greg was born on July 23, 1943 in Redondo Beach, California. He was the youngest child born into the military family of Lt Col Gregory Norton Garcia and Arcadia Garcia. He was the grandson of Gould Gregory Norton of the First United States Volunteer Cavalry who fought as one of Teddy Roosevelt’s “Roughriders” during the Spanish American War. After the war, Trooper Norton became a prominent citrus grower in Florida, Arizona and Cuba.
Always the adventurer, Greg’s early life included roaming the Germany country side in the immediate aftermath of WW II. His vivid memories of those time were a living history lesson later in life. Greg would share stories while his father was stationed at the Pentagon of sledding down the hills of Arlington National Cemetery with his sister, and, always one for service, using his mother’s broom to sweep the leaves from the Lincoln Memorial. Not one for the structure of the classroom, he left school in the 10th grade and at age 17 he enlisted in the Air Force on the advice of his older brother Edward. Greg’s eight years of active service began with him as an Air Policeman with tours in Germany, Alaska, Florida and Montana. He later crosstrained into Education and Training. One of his favorite memories from his service was meeting up with his brother Michael in Thailand during the Vietnam War. His service to his country continued in civilian life. While posted at Keesler AFB, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary performing hundreds of hours of service to the community, rising to the rank of Flotilla Staff Officer and was a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Greg had an overwhelming thirst for, and expansive knowledge. His desire for education and knowledge was a driving force in him securing his GED. That springboarded him to earning his Bachelor’s degree, two Master’s degrees (University of Massachusetts and University of Southern Mississippi) and culminated in a Doctorate from Montana State University. Greg also attended post-graduate training at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He used this education and experience as an Education Services Officer with the Air Force, ensuring that service members had access to quality educational opportunities.
Following retirement after 30 years of civil service in the Department of Defense, Greg taught public administration, and political science at Tulane University and the University of Southern Mississippi. He moved on from teaching and became the Dean, Military Programs at Grantham University before transferring to a like position at Park University. While a recipient of multiple accolades, he was most proud of being honored with a Lifetime Service Award from worldwide adult educators and a special service award from the Community College of the Air Force.
Greg would help anyone and was generous with his time leading Scouting troops and activities, teaching adult Sunday School, and being an active member of his community. He earned his private pilots license in Alaska, taught himself to sail in the waters of Tampa Bay, but his favorite activity was travelling in the camper with his grandchildren. He believed in spreading love, joy and kindness. His big smile and humorous personality will be so missed by many.
Greg is predeceased by his parents, his older brother Edward and sister Miriam, He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marcia Hawbaker. His son Gregory Christian (Sarah Rogers), and four beautiful grandchildren: Katherine Arcadia Hinson (Anson Hinson), Marshall Christian Garcia, U.S. Navy, his youngest granddaughters, DeLaney Ella and Josephine Pauline. He also leaves behind his beloved brother Michael (Roberta) and many loving nieces and nephews.
A special thank you to the nurses of Liberty Hospice.
Memorial Services will be December 6, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Morris Chapel United Methodist Church in Sanford, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation to your local charity of choice in Greg’s name in order to honor him.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.