“Ileana Victoria Garcia Darby, beloved Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Buela (grandmother), Aunt, Cousin and friend passed away on January 10, 2026 at 12:03am at Pomona Valley Hospital at the age of 68.
Ileana was born on August 11, 1957 in South Gate, CA to Ana Luisa and Manuel Faustino, both Cuban immigrants. Ileana is a first generation Cuban American who is one of four siblings. She is survived by her husband Richard, daughter Jennifer and two sons, Richard and Manuel in addition to six grandkids, Ava, Chase, Cruz, Declan, Liam and Tait whom she loved and adored. She also leaves behind her eldest sister Maria Hernandez, Brother Manual Garcia, youngest sister Barbara Jones and several other family members.
Ileana’s most recent greatest times were spent hanging out with her grandchildren. She would go to every soccer game, dirt bike race, school event, cross country event, baseball game, triathlon, marathon, etc. to watch her grandkids and kids. She would drive 4 hours for a 2 hour game just to see them play and the smiles on their faces.
Ileana had a selflessness like no other, she took care of EVERYONE, whether you were family or not. She babysat so many, took in people to live in her home, dropped anything to drive someone somewhere or help with something, even while not feeling well she would put her ailments aside to make sure someone else was taken care of. She IS one in a million that can never be replaced and will be missed by so many.
Her final wish was to have her body donated to science when she passed. She had been saying it for years and it makes the family so happy to know that we have fulfilled her wishes with her body donation. It is a true testament to how caring and selfless she really is even after her passing.
She will be missed by so many however she was such a strong presence in so many people’s lives, she will never be forgotten. Her favorite saying was “Love me from a distance”….and that is what we will do.”
