Sara Alicia Garcia Cares

Sara Alicia Garcia Cares, 78, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, passed away peacefully in the early hours of Wednesday, February 18, 2026, following a courageous battle with an aggressive form of cancer.

She was born on September 22, 1947, in Curacautín, Chile, to the late Maria Lorenza Cares Contreras and Celso Garcia Padilla.

She was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Celso and Maria; her brother, Patricio Garcia Cares; and her son, Emanuel Humberto Muñoz Garcia.

In her mid-twenties, she met the love of her life, and together they built a beautiful family to which she devoted herself wholeheartedly. Known lovingly as “Sary,” she had a deep love for music and found joy in singing. She was happiest when surrounded by her family. After graduating from high school with a degree in dressmaking, she worked alongside her husband for many years, creating clothing together and building both a livelihood and a life side by side.

Sary cherished traveling. With her beloved husband, she explored many places throughout Chile, spent treasured time with siblings in Brazil, and later visited her daughter in Ohio. Those visits led to many adventures across the United States — from Washington, D.C., to Utah, Florida, and Niagara Falls. She loved nature and saw God’s hand in its beauty — in sunsets and mountains, in beaches and butterflies, and, during her years in Mount Vernon, in the quiet glow of summer fireflies.

She will be deeply missed not only by her devoted husband and children, but also by the many friends and extended family who were touched by her warm smile, her generous hugs, her wise counsel, and her gentle sense of humor.

She is survived by her loving husband, Humberto Ramiro Muñoz Salgado; her children, Angelica Hall (William), Olaya Muñoz Garcia, and Patricio Muñoz Garcia; and her cherished grandchildren, Millaray Victoria Hall, Ivan Alejandro Lazo Muñoz, and William T. Hall.

A memorial service was held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mount Vernon, Ohio, on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. EST, and was broadcast to family and friends in Chile, Brazil, and the United States.

Condolences may be shared with her children.