Greg was a cherished husband, devoted father of five, and proud grandfather to eleven grandchildren. He had a remarkable ability to make everyone feel welcome, whether it was hosting lively BBQs, cheering for the Spurs or the Kansas City Chiefs, or simply lending a helping hand. This would be a simple telling of Greg’s story.
No one would have known that Greg had doubts about his own health. He often compared his body to a car and its parts, and would joke with his family that “his parts weren’t good enough.” Little did he know the immense impact his body could have on so many lives. On July 1, 2022, Greg went into cardiac arrest at home and died at the age of 57.
“His body didn’t mean the world to him, but it meant the world to someone else,” says Rusti Garcia, Greg’s daughter. Greg’s selflessness, combined with his family’s understanding of his compassionate nature, led them to make the decision on his behalf to become a tissue donor after his passing.
Betty Underhill, Greg’s surviving wife, said, “he would have been happy to know that ‘his parts’ were still good.”
She wishes that more people knew that being a donor extends beyond major organs and encompasses all body parts, including tissue. Betty believes that if Greg had known about the broader scope of donation, he would have signed up in advance because he always wanted to help others in need.
“When someone passes away, another person is born—not in the physical sense, but through the opportunity to help someone else.”
Betty Underhill
On Father’s Day this year, Rusti visited the Legacy Garden —a serene space on our campus designed for families to commemorate their loved ones. During her reflection time there she realized a way to honor Greg’s story of selflessness was to sign up to be a first-time blood donor. She too wants to impact lives just like Greg did and pass on that legacy to her children.
