Obituary: Alex Garcia

Dr. Alex Garcia, a longtime board member of the Mashomack Preserve and resident of Ram Island, died at Peconic Bay Medical Center on Sunday, February 5, 2012. He was 92.

A moment of silence for Dr. Garcia was observed at the start of Tuesday’s Town Board work session, after Supervisor Jim Dougherty announced his passing.

The former head of orthopedic surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York had been a resident since shortly after World War II,  had served the community on the board of the Shelter Island Library and as chairman of the board of the Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve, Mr. Dougherty noted.

Dr. Garcia was also a charter member of the town’s 2-Percent Open Space Committee and instrumental in the development of the town’s Comprehensive Plan in the early 1990s. He was “a delightful individual and a good friend to the Island,” Mr. Dougherty said.

A memorial service is planned at the Mashomack Preserve this spring. Details will be announced.

A full obituary will appear in a future edition of the Shelter Island Reporter.