Andrea Burns Barrett Garcia passed away on February 4, 2024, in Tucson, AZ at the age of 92, surrounded by her loving family. Andrea was born in Bridgeport, CT, on 1/29/1932, to Helen M. and Walter P. Barrett. She is survived by her devoted husband of almost 60 years, Manuel H. Garcia, her three daughters, Andrea Ballard (husband, Ron Ballard), Angela Garcia Lathrop (husband, Douglas Lathrop), Aleta Garcia, four grandchildren, Kyle Dignoti, Katie Ballard, Barrett Lathrop and Owen Lathrop, and her brother Jeremiah J. Barrett.

Andrea was a proud graduate of Laurelton Hall in Milford, CT, Class of 1949. Following high school, she became a professional secretary for IBM in New York, NY.  While she loved the city and the lifestyle of a working woman, she suffered from severe asthma which put her in the hospital for weeks at a time. She faced the decision of moving to Arizona for her health.

At the age of 20, she boarded an Amtrak train with a one-way ticket to the dry climate of Tucson. She moved into the YWCA and met her lifelong friends, Carol Anderson and Nettie Cuevas. She fell in love with the rodeo town and immediately found employment. Tucson cured her asthma but it did not cure her love of Connecticut and her yearning for home, so at 26, she returned to Bridgeport only to take ill again.

In her late 20s, after returning to Tucson, Andrea worked for attorney Sam Goddard as his legal secretary.  At a meeting, she met a handsome and politically active attorney, Manuel H. Garcia, and two years later they wed at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church.

Tucson became Andrea's forever home where she and Manuel raised their three daughters. After the birth of their first child, Andrea's parents moved from Connecticut and she was able to enjoy time with them, especially her Mother, for over two decades. While her brother, Jerry, never moved out West, she shared a special bond with him and both loved his visits at Christmas and visiting him in Washington D.C.

Andrea was a devout Catholic and an active parishioner of St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church. She volunteered in the Cragin Elementary School P.T.A. and at countless summer swim meets, filling out ribbons. She loved seeing her daughters succeed and never missed an opportunity to cheer for them. When grandchildren arrived, she embraced the role of "Grammy" with boundless joy and showered all four of them with love and gifts at every holiday, especially her favorite, Christmas.

Some of Andrea's favorite things were getting her hair done once a week, shopping and eating lunch with her daughters, attending the Tucson symphony and reading the local newspaper and People magazine from cover-to-cover. She loved ballroom dancing with Manuel and never missed the 10 o'clock news. Andrea enjoyed laughing and long talks on the phone with friends and family. She will be dearly missed by many.