City leaders, community members remember local restaurateur who died after COVID-19 diagnosis
City leaders and community members are remembering the life of a local restaurant owner who died Thursday after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.Saul Garcia, the owner of Los Aztecas, was a Mexican immigrant who went from boxer to restaurateur, eventually owning three restaurant locations.His death after his COVID-19 diagnosis was unexpected to long-time friend Benigno Estrada.”I see him pretty healthy and this morning, I see the news that he passed away,” Estrada said. “It’s pretty sad, pretty hard for me.”What Estrada and other long-time friend Minerva Virola both said was his legacy of love, friendship and giving would continue to live on through what he meant to the Louisville community.”He was a great model,” Virola said. “A model to be a leader. It is a great loss to have him gone. So the grief I feel is like really deep. I got to know him really well. His family. I’ve seen how he got to really help the immigrant community.”Mayor Greg Fischer even tweeted out his condolences and began a Friday morning news conference with a moment of silence for Garcia. “I want to start by remembering Saul Garcia,” Mayor Fischer said.Saul Garcia’s life in Louisville was what, to many, would be considered the American dream, but Virola said for those who also came to Louisville in search of the American dream, he helped them find family and a community.”He would take money out his own pocket to get people out of jail because they were at the wrong time and the wrong place and ICE got them,” Virola said. “And these are ‘trabajadores,’ hard-working men and women who were taking care of their children and they came here for the American Dream and he knew this.”Virola added he was not only a force in the Latinx community in Louisville but for the community as a whole.”That’s how much of an influence this man had on our community,” Virola said. “Whenever he spoke, everybody listened because he had a way of… just his presence. In his own way, you would know that he was there. By his generosity, his smile, he always gives a compliment.”Estrada mimicked the same sentiment.”So nice with all the kind of people who need help,” Estrada said of Garcia. “He tried to help to everybody.”Above all, both friends said Garcia’s greatest accomplishment was his family — two daughters, a son, and a loving wife.Virola said Garcia leaves them behind along with a meaningful legacy that will live on.”It’s going to be hard to pick up that torch, I can tell you that much, but we’re going to try,” Virola said. “And I know there’s men in our community that will say ‘oh now, I got to step in for Saul’ because he meant so much to our community.”No memorial arrangements have yet been announced for Garcia.
City leaders and community members are remembering the life of a local restaurant owner who died Thursday after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Saul Garcia, the owner of Los Aztecas, was a Mexican immigrant who went from boxer to restaurateur, eventually owning three restaurant locations.
His death after his COVID-19 diagnosis was unexpected to long-time friend Benigno Estrada.
“I see him pretty healthy and this morning, I see the news that he passed away,” Estrada said. “It’s pretty sad, pretty hard for me.”
What Estrada and other long-time friend Minerva Virola both said was his legacy of love, friendship and giving would continue to live on through what he meant to the Louisville community.
“He was a great model,” Virola said. “A model to be a leader. It is a great loss to have him gone. So the grief I feel is like really deep. I got to know him really well. His family. I’ve seen how he got to really help the immigrant community.”
Mayor Greg Fischer even tweeted out his condolences and began a Friday morning news conference with a moment of silence for Garcia.
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“I want to start by remembering Saul Garcia,” Mayor Fischer said.
Saul Garcia’s life in Louisville was what, to many, would be considered the American dream, but Virola said for those who also came to Louisville in search of the American dream, he helped them find family and a community.
“He would take money out his own pocket to get people out of jail because they were at the wrong time and the wrong place and ICE got them,” Virola said. “And these are ‘trabajadores,’ hard-working men and women who were taking care of their children and they came here for the American Dream and he knew this.”
Virola added he was not only a force in the Latinx community in Louisville but for the community as a whole.
“That’s how much of an influence this man had on our community,” Virola said. “Whenever he spoke, everybody listened because he had a way of… just his presence. In his own way, you would know that he was there. By his generosity, his smile, he always gives a compliment.”
Estrada mimicked the same sentiment.
“So nice with all the kind of people who need help,” Estrada said of Garcia. “He tried to help to everybody.”
Above all, both friends said Garcia’s greatest accomplishment was his family — two daughters, a son, and a loving wife.
Virola said Garcia leaves them behind along with a meaningful legacy that will live on.
“It’s going to be hard to pick up that torch, I can tell you that much, but we’re going to try,” Virola said. “And I know there’s men in our community that will say ‘oh now, I got to step in for Saul’ because he meant so much to our community.”
No memorial arrangements have yet been announced for Garcia.
