‘An angel in disguise’: Sons remember 3rd Las Cruces educator who lost battle to Covid-19

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – For more than 22 years, she was known and loved as "Mrs. Gloria" in Las Cruces Public Schools.

"She was larger than life," said her son Ernie. "One of the nicest people you'll ever meet. It didn't matter who you were. She was nice to you. She treated you just like family."

 "Just her smile itself is so welcoming," said her son Paul." You see that smile and you instantly know, 'That person right there, I know I can feel safe around her.'"

Garza educated thousands of students at Mesilla Elementary and New Mexico School for the Deaf.

"Even the kids who were not her students, they all felt like they were her kids because they were so used to seeing Mrs. Gloria everywhere," Ernie said. "Mrs. Gloria would do anything that they needed."

On Nov. 13th, 55-year-old Garza was hospitalized with Covid-19 at MountainView Regional Medical Center.

"She's a fighter," Ernie said. "I mean she was fighting. She was pretty stable for most of the time. Even when she had small setbacks, the fight in her came out."  

Her husband Ernest was hospitalized one day after her, but recovered from Covid-19, the sons said.

"She lost her battle to it," Ernie said. More lives are being lost every day. But it is a real virus. It's deadly. You don't know how bad it's going to affect you because none of us knew it would affect my mom this bad."

Paul described her as "an angel in disguise."

"I can't even imagine waking up Christmas morning and knowing my mom's not with us anymore," Ernie said.

Garza is the third educator the district has lost to Covid-19. Damacio Bernal, 64, died Oct. 26. Bernal had taught at LCPS for nearly 30 years before retiring and returning as a substitute. Sylvia Garcia, who started her career at the district in 1991, died on Nov. 29 at age 60.

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