Memorials set for Garibay

Lolita Harper

Former resident, student, athlete and forever hero Jose Garibay will

be honored in two memorial services in the coming days.

A memorial service for Garibay, Orange County’s first casualty of

the war in Iraq, will be held Sunday at St. Joachim Church, on Orange

Avenue in Costa Mesa. The public is invited to attend the services.

“I know I want to be there to lend my support,” said Charles

Spence of Newport Beach, whose son “Cass” Spence is in Iraq. “We all

need to rally around each other in these times.”

Garibay, a 21-year-old Marine corporal, was killed Sunday near

Nasiriyah, Iraq, after encountering an ambush by enemy troops,

officials reported. Garibay, who enlisted with the Marines at 18, was

with six other Marines who died in that incident. All were based at

North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune.

Military officials told Simona Garibay to expect her son’s body

within seven days. Jose Garibay’s body will make a stop in

Washington, D.C. before it returns to Costa Mesa. The family plans to

have the body by Sunday for the planned service, but details are hard

to nail down, family members said. The service time is still

unconfirmed, but is tentatively 11 a.m. Those interested should

contact the church at (714) 574-7400.

“They just told us to be ready when the body does get here and we

will do it then,” said cousin Lucina Aguilar.

Family members said they have been floored by the amount of

support they have received. An endless stream of strangers have been

dropping by with flowers, cards, money, food, gift certificates and

more.

“We are truly touched,” Aguilar said.

Simona Garibay’s employers, Reliance Services, have offered to

give her 30 days’ paid time off during her time of grief, said

officials of College Hospital on Victoria Street, which contracts the

janitorial company.

Newport Harbor High School, from which Garibay graduated, has also

planned a tribute. Garibay will be honored Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. in

front of the Bell Towers.