Stephen T. Garcia

Stephen was born on September 29, 1972, in Manila, Philippines, to parents Nicanor and Remedios Garcia. He passed away at age 49 on May 4, 2022, in Providence Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, California. He was the eldest of three children.

Stephen attended Aquinas School from preparatory through high school and went to college at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. He studied industrial design and worked as a print software test engineer for many years. Known to those closest to him as “Bulge,” he was a chill guy who loved and enjoyed life’s simple but meaningful pleasures - spending time and celebrating birthdays and holidays with loved ones, collecting model cars, going on road trips to see new places, listening to music, dining out, food shopping, building computers, watching his favorite shows like Cobra Kai and Knight Rider, and connecting with friends on social media.

He was low-key and unassuming in public but had a ready laugh and constantly joked around with those closest to him in private. He conjured up silly nicknames for everyone.

Stephen’s love of cars started at an early age. He was fond of Japanese robots and cartoons as a kid, and in his teens blew up Atari and Nintendo consoles. He spent a lot of time outdoors riding his BMX bikes and hanging out with friends. He played pop music on the organ and had talent in drawing and building things. He once constructed a large, intricate scale model of a convertible Ferrari Testarossa out of brown cardboard for a college project. In his twenties, Stephen discovered the “need for speed”, and would later attribute his “enhanced driving skills” to long hours of car racing simulators.

Stephen was a sensitive “old soul” who had an affinity with the past, often wistful about life and music in the decades that preceded his birth year. He favored “vintage eras,” which showed in the model cars and other objects that he curated from the world over. Perhaps he loved bygone times a bit too much because he was adamant about not needing cell phones… and never owned one.

Stephen was also a major fan of the British Invasion and The Go-Go’s back in the day. He loved Buck Rogers and Back to the Future, always keenly interested in the workings of time travel. He was all over the wildly popular TV show 24 and looked to the character of Jack Bauer as a relentless fighter, the epitome of grit and resilience amid impossible situations. Bauer was on Stephen’s whimsical mind during the final weeks of his life as he bravely fought his own physical ailments.

No tribute is complete without mentioning Stephen’s food passion. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he loved to eat. He didn’t care for overhyped, fussy, and pretentious food trends either. Classic home-cooked Filipino food – prepared just so – or a double-double from In-N-Out – usually sealed the deal. He regularly came home from running errands with a “pasalubong” for the family, whether a box of Randy’s Donuts, a Brazo de Mercedes from Goldilocks, or some other delightful treat.

As an immigrant who came to the states in the 90s, Stephen loved America and the South Bay. However, he was also quite nostalgic about his roots and places in the Philippines, particularly Antipolo where he grew up, Santa Mesa (his mother’s hometown), and Baguio, where his parents lived for a year when Stephen was a toddler. He also dreamt of visiting and experiencing the old-world charm of the Isle of Man, an island nation between Great Britain and Ireland.

Stephen held decidedly conservative views and values about God, life, family, and country, honoring his parents with a generous and kind spirit, and faithfully attending church throughout his life in observance of his Catholic faith and upbringing. Whenever asked about his rationale and philosophy in life, he was always quick to say with conviction, “Because that’s what we were taught in Aquinas.”

Although Stephen cherished material possessions, he never expressed any desire for, nor had grand ambitions of, great wealth and fame. His life centered on family. He chose and did the one thing that most people might come to regret not having done enough of by the end of life, and that is to appreciate and spend time with loved ones.

He hoped for and often talked about a big reunion in Manila to include all the Garcia/Tiongson relatives scattered around the world. That didn’t come to pass in his lifetime, but he has now met with relatives who have gone before him, and Scripture tells us that a grand reunion in heaven is part of God’s master plan.
Stephen is survived by his parents Nick and Didi, and siblings Donna and Paolo, who deeply love and miss him. Words cannot express the family’s profound sadness at this time, but they also take great comfort in God’s will, wisdom, perfect love, and peace that surpass all understanding, and trust in God’s promises of salvation, eternal life, and resurrection.

Romans 8:38-39
Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, [b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord