Fredeswinda "Freddie" Garcia was born on March 24, 1945, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, the second eldest of five children of Eladio Garcia and Bonifacia Burgos. From her earliest years, she understood that family was everything — a belief she lived by every day of her life, until God called her home on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.While Freddie was still young, her parents brought the family from Puerto Rico to New York, chasing the promise of a better life. She was educated in the New York City public school system and earned her high school diploma from Julia Richman High School. Those years helped shape the strong, resilient woman she would become.At twenty, Freddie met Willie Simmons, and together they built a life rooted in family. She raised their three children, and she lovingly raised her niece and nephew as her own. The home she made was warm and steady — a place grounded in strong values, deep love, and stability.Freddie was strong, sharp, and quick-witted, with a tongue that could keep anyone on their toes and a heart that never stopped giving. She was stubborn in the way only the most loving people are — fiercely devoted to everyone she cared about. But for all her fire, she laughed just as easily, finding humor in the ordinary moments of family life. Her quirky love of classic cowboy shows only added to her charm, and she never turned down a good trip to the casino or the easy company of family and friends.Above all, though, Freddie was happiest in the kitchen. There was always a meal in the making for someone, and her home was where everyone gathered — for holidays, for celebrations, and for no reason at all. She was a wonderful host who found pure joy in a full house and a shared table. To Freddie, feeding the people she loved was love itself.She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a cherished sister, and a proud grandmother, and she taught her family the truth she lived by: family is everything, family first, and the memories made together — around the table, on holidays, in the quiet, ordinary moments — are life's most precious treasure.Freddie is survived by her children, Willie and Freda (Cedric); her niece and nephew, Annette (Giovanni) and William, whom she raised as her own; her sister, Ana Hilda; nine grandchildren, Maidaia, Shon, Victor Jr., Willie Jr., Shantiece, Valissa, Giana, Genazia, and Ceriah; and seventeen great-grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Willie Simmons; her daughter, Denise; her parents, Eladio Garcia and Bonifacia Burgos; and her siblings, Gladys, Eladio Jr., and Gilbert.Her love, wisdom, strength, and faith will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. She will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and forever cherished.