Jose Sieiro Garcia was born April 14, 1931 in Xisto, Pontevedra, Spain. Here, he began to learn the craft of stone masonry. The opportunities of work carried Jose to Sao Paulo, Brasil where he continued to hone his craft and met the woman who would be remain by his side throughout his life.

In 1965, Jose and his wife, Gema Sieiro Aparecida, came to the United States to build more than with just stone and mortar. He built a family and a legacy of stone work across the nation's capital and more. With stone, he built foundations for statues, steps and iconic buildings. With Gema, Jose built within his children the foundation of being honorable, honest and strong.

These last few years, Jose's foundation grew weaker from chronic pulmonary issues. It was not surprising to us that each time these diseases would tackle him, Jose would rally the best he could and we were blessed with more time and build more memories with him. We learned in November of 2012, Jose had Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukimia, a cancer of the blood that would weaken his blood cells, chipping away his body's ability to provide itself the ability to fight infections and keep itself sound.

On April 5, 2013, we lost a father, a husband, a man made of stronger stuff than can be built with stone and mortar. We will miss him , love him through all time and we will honor him as best we can.

I don’t think I could be prouder, of anything else in my life, than the gift it is, to call myself his daughter.

On June 1, 2013, my team and I will be bicycling 107 miles in Long Island, NY. Each mile a reminder of epic influence he has had on my life. I ride for him. I ride for a cure. I ride for me, to remember and honor.

Thank you for helping us honor him

The Sieiro Garcia Family

Gema, Maggi, Rob, Becky, Alex and Zach