Heartwarming act for four children whose parents died due to Texas school shooting

There has been an extraordinary outpouring of support for four children whose mum was shot dead in the Texas school shooting and dad died from grief days later.

Kind-hearted donors have raised more than $3 million for the children of a teacher shot dead in the Texas school massacre and her grief-stricken husband who died days later.

Joe Garcia died in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde that killed 19 children and two teachers – including his wife of 24 years, Irma Garcia.

Mr Garcia’s family said he died from a heart attack caused by “grief” after visiting a memorial to lay flowers for Ms Garcia, 48, two days after the shooting.

The couple left behind four children: Cristian, 23, Jose, 19, Lyliana, 15, and Alysandra, 12.

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Irma and Joe Garcia died within days of each other last week. Picture: GoFundMe

A GoFundMe campaign set up by Ms Garcia’s cousin, Debra Austin, to support the grieving children has shot way past its goal of $US10,000 ($A13,900), with more than 49,000 donors contributing more than $US2.7 million ($A3.76 million) so far.

“One hundred per cent of the proceeds will go to the Garcia family for various expenses,” Ms Austin said.

Ms Garcia, a teacher for 23 years, was shot dead in last week’s massacre reportedly while protecting her students from gunfire.

“Irma was a wife, a mother-of-four, a cousin, a sister, a daughter, an aunt and a wonderful person. She would literally do anything for anybody, no questions asked,” Ms Austin said.

A memorial for the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary on May 2. Picture: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP

“She loved her classroom kids and died trying to protect them.”

Her husband Joe, 50, died from a heart attack two days later, shortly after laying flowers for his wife at a memorial set up for shooting victims.

“I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart and losing the love of his life of more than 30 years was too much to bear,” Ms Austin wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Mr Garcia’s nephew John Martinez said the family believed he died “due to grief”.

“I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling. Please pray for our family, God have mercy on us, this isn’t easy,” Mr Martinez said last week.

“The pain doesn’t stop.”

A mourner outside a funeral home in Uvalde, Texas, on Monday. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP

Salvador Ramos, 18, killed 21 people at the school before he was shot dead by authorities. Picture: AFP

Ms Garcia and fellow teacher Eva Mireles were among 21 people killed during last Tuesday’s massacre after gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, barricaded himself inside their fourth-grade classroom and opened fire.

Nineteen students died in the shooting at Robb Elementary and 17 others were injured.

Mr Martinez said when authorities went inside the classroom after the shooting, they “found [Ms Garcia’s] body there, embracing children in her arms pretty much until her last breath”.

“She had treated her students as if they were her own children,” Mr Martinez said.

He said it was easy for loved ones to imagine her possibly “putting her life on the line” as she was “like a second mum” to her students.

“She brings a joy and a light to the room,” he said.

– with the New York Post and The Sun