On March 24, Irma Garcia was gunned down inside her Texas classroom trying to protect her students. Two days later, her husband, suddenly a grieving widower in a storm of chaos, died.
Now, their town, state and country have come together to do what they can for their four suddenly orphaned children.
More than $2.5 million has been raised so far for their children — Cristian, 23; Jose, 19; Lyliana, 15, and Alysandra, 12 — on a viral GoFundMe as of Sunday morning.
“Irma was a wife, a mother of 4, a cousin, a sister a daughter, an aunt and a wonderful person. She would literally do anything for anybody ... no questions asked. She loved her classroom kids and died trying to protect them,” her cousin, Debra Austin, wrote on the fundraising page.
“I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart and losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear.”
More than 46,000 individual donors have given money.
“I would like to thank all the donors worldwide that have contributed to these wonderful kids. The prayers and love and support you have sent are so very much appreciated and needed as they continue their journey through life without their mother and father,” Austin wrote Sunday.
Irma Garcia, 48, was in her 23rd year of teaching and her fifth as a co-teacher at Robb Elementary School with Eva Mireles, who was also shot and killed along with 19 of their students.
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