Melissa Mays Garcia

Melissa Mays Garcia, 25, of Idaho Falls, died October 28, 2001, at her parents’ home of a fatal gunshot wound.

She was born April 16, 1976, in Idaho Falls, to Robert Gregory Mays and Debra Salvesen Mays. She attended Cloverdale Elementary School, North Bonneville Junior High, and graduated from Bonneville High School in 1994.

On July 8, 1995, she married Lalo Garcia. On that day she also became a mother to Brandon and Brittney Garcia, whom she loved and raised as her own. The couple was blessed with two more children, Brylee and Bridger. Their marriage ended in divorce, but a reconciliation was in progress at the time of her death. They truly loved each other.

She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held various callings. She played on the 8th-grade basketball and volleyball teams for North Bonneville Junior High and was a freshman cheerleader there, also. She was on the award winning Honeybees Dance Team for Bonneville High School when she was a sophomore. Her junior year she was a varsity cheerleader and also played on the Bonneville softball team.

Melissa was a dancer from the age of 4. She followed her dance career all her high school years. She was a member of Jubilee Dance Team and won many trophies for her performances through Idaho and Utah. She was also on a ballroom dance team. She was the Idaho Falls High School Tigerettes Advisor for three years. She was also a certified technical judge for dance, drill team, and cheerleading. She was on the Festival Committee for 5th District Dance and Drill Team for three years. Dancing was her passion, and she took pleasure in teaching others to dance.

Melissa loved her family and brought much joy to us. She had a talent for cheering people up, no matter what the situation. She loved being with her entire extended family, camping, and riding four-wheelers. She was “Daddy’s Little Girl” and often went fishing, hunting, and camping with her Dad.

Survivors include her parents, Greg and Debbie Mays of Idaho Falls; father of her children, Lalo Garcia of Idaho Falls; a son, Brandon Garcia, age 11; two daughters, Brittney Garcia, age 9, and Brylee Garcia, age 4; a son, Bridger Garcia, age 3; her grandmother, Donna Salvesen of Idaho Falls; her grandparents, Bob and Gayle Wolz of Idaho Falls; and her great-grandmother, Rosella Smith, of Malad; a sister, Kristin (Josh) Dalton of Helena, Montana; a brother, Jared Mays of Idaho Falls; three sisters-in-law, Rosa (Greg) Yanez, Maria (Raul) Ramirez, and Bertha Moreno; three brothers-in-law, Jose (Angel) Garcia, Jesse (Tonia) Garcia, and Fred (Elida) Garcia; her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Francisco and Crisanta Sotelo; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held Friday, November 2, 2001, at the Idaho Falls LDS 31st Ward, with Bishop Terry Hale officiating. Burial was in the Ammon Cemetery.