Kylene Denise Garcia

Kind, loyal, loving and fearless are several of the ways to best describe Kylene Denise Garcia, who passed away March 28 surrounded by her loving family after a 32-month battle with cancer. It’s safe to say cancer didn’t know who it was up against when it chose Kylene. For more than 2 1/2 years, she thoroughly kicked cancer’s ass despite a late discovery. Diagnosed in July 2021 with inoperable, metastatic, stage 4 colorectal cancer, Kylene fought bravely, taking no moment for granted. Whether it was attending San Francisco Giants games, girls nights, concerts, theme parks, camping at Pinecrest, or family vacations, Kylene did her best to ignore the pain and enjoy her remaining time with family and friends. Prior to her diagnosis, Kylene worked in special education classes for the Marin County Office of Education and truly loved her time working in the Learning Center at Evergreen and Richard Crane elementary schools for the Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District. She also was a dedicated mother who chaperoned numerous field trips, dances and grad night events, attended her daughters’ travel softball tournaments and enjoyed making friends with their teammates and teammates’ families. If anyone ever needed advice, a hug or a shoulder to cry on, Kylene was always there. Kylene graduated Rancho Cotate High School in 1997. She attended Santa Rosa Junior College and graduated Marin Beauty Academy, working several years as a hair and nail stylist. Born to the late Belinda Holmes Hayes, Kylene is survived by her loving husband of 19 years, Christopher Garcia, their three children, Christopher, Kailin and Alexis, her father, Dennis Hayes, and her brother Daniel Hayes (Sarah). A special thanks to the dedicated and caring oncology staff at UC San Francisco for helping Kylene extend her time. Kylene passed away during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. She received her diagnosis at age 42, which is younger than the current recommended age (45) to begin screenings. The family encourages anyone in their early 40s to get examined. A celebration of life will be held in June. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to FightColorectalCancer.org.

Kylene Denise Garcia

January 3, 1979 - March 28, 2024