‘Beloved’ Las Cruces teacher dies after being hospitalized with Covid-19; LCPS ‘devastated’

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Las Cruces Public Schools officials said the "pandemic just hit home for us” as they announced the death of a longtime teacher, who died in a hospital early Sunday after a lengthy battle with Covid-19.

Sylvia Garcia, 60, most recently taught math and reading at at Lynn Community Middle School.

“We are devastated,” said LCPS Superintendent Karen Trujillo. “Sylvia was a beloved, veteran educator with deep roots in this district. Our school family is doing all we can to support her children in this extremely difficult time.”  

Garcia began her teaching career in Las Cruces in 1991. Over the years, she taught at Sunrise Elementary, Hermosa Heights Elementary and Valley View Elementary before going to Lynn to teach sixth, seventh and eight graders. 

“I remember Sylvia’s first email to me,” said Brenda Ballard, principal at Lynn. “She was excited to be at a school where she was needed, and where she felt a deep sense of place. Her late brother was one of the first students at Lynn when the school was built.”  

Ballard said that Garcia had remained in touch with her school colleagues while she was hospitalized trying to fight the virus that ultimately claimed her life.

“She was a unique teacher whose reach went beyond the classroom; she invested in the lives of her students and her colleagues and she made students feel like they were her own family," Ballard said. "During our remote learning time, she would find ways to engage students in something personal. She knew details about students few others did."

Garcia is among at least 184 victims to succumb to the virus in Doña Ana County so far during the pandemic.