Funeral service for SFC (Retired) Santiago R. Garza, Jr. will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 29, 2020 in the Becker-Rabon Funeral Home Chapel with Eric Sharum, Minister of University Church of Christ, Lawton, officiating.

Burial with full military honors will follow in Highland Cemetery, Lawton.

The family will greet friends from 6-8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

SFC (Retired) Santiago R. Garza, Jr., 90, of Lawton, Oklahoma passed away Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at his home in Lawton. He was born August 19, 1929 in Skidmore, Texas to Santiago R. and Andrea (Rodriquez) Garza, Sr.

Santiago met and married his late wife, Gerda Elizabeth Klauder while on tour in Mannheim, Germany on June 30, 1952. Gerda passed away April 13, 1987. They were blessed with ten children, Santiago, III (Jim), Danny, Gilberto, Dolores, Yolanda, Armando, Gerda, Gary, Melinda and Belinda.  Santiago was in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1974 with tours in Germany, two tours in Vietnam 1966-67, 70-71 and one tour in Korea. He retired from the military in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1971, where he continued to live the rest of his life.  Following his military retirement, he worked for Lawton Public Schools at MacArthur High School and at Carriage Hills Elementary School until he retired in 1999.  After his retirement, Santiago traveled to several different states to visit and spend time with his grandchildren.  He enjoyed traveling to Colorado almost every year to see the fall colors and driving through the Texas Hill country to see the vibrant Texas bluebonnets in the spring.  However, the most enjoyable time he had was having all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren come to his home for barbecues and playing volleyball.

Survivors Include his sisters, Gloria Sanchez and husband Israel and Aurora Garza, brother, Abram Garza, three sons, Santiago "Jim" Garza, III and wife Jerrilyn, Danny Garza and wife Angie, and Gary Garza and wife Annette, three daughters, Yolanda Wade, Gerda Cox and husband Ed, and Melinda Garza, daughter-in-law, Kim Garza, son-in-law, Bill Hubbard, daughter-in-law Carrie Garza, 44 grandchildren, 80 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren.

Santiago was preceded in death by his parents, two sons, Gilberto and Armando Garza, and two daughters, Dolores Hubbard and Belinda Suson, grandson, Orlando Garza, great grandson, Shaedyn Holmes, four brothers, Lupe, Gilberto, Blas, and Freddy Garza, two sisters, Mary and Jenny.