‘Filled with so much joy’: Ellie Garcia, 9, remembered for being cheerful

Ellie’s life was cut short at Robb Elementary School on May 24

Her full name was Eliahna Amyah Garcia, but to her friends and family, she was simply “Ellie.”

Editor’s note: This article is part of a KSAT 12 special project Remembering the Victims of the Robb Elementary School.

Her full name was Eliahna Amyah Garcia, but to her friends and family, she was simply “Ellie.”

And Ellie, 9, was a fun child.

Her uncle, Adrian Alonzo, said she was always up to something.

“She loved basketball. She loved to ride bikes. She loved to go to church with us. She loved the Lord. And, she loved school, dancing, TikToks.”

‘Filled with so much joy’: Ellie Garcia, 9, remembered for being cheerful

She was also a big fan of “Encanto.”

In fact, for her upcoming birthday, she was hoping to receive gifts related to the Disney movie.

She was days shy of celebrating her 10th birthday on June 4.

She was the second oldest of five girls and loved spending time with her sisters.

“Ellie was a beautiful girl. She was filled with so much joy… She had a good heart. She was never angry at anyone. She loved every one. She was just such a good kid,” said Alonzo.

“We were thankful to have Ellie for the nine years of her life with us. We will never forget her. She will always be a part of this family, even in her death,” added Alonzo.


Find more stories of victims here.

. (KSAT)

About the Authors:

Stephania Jimenez is an anchor on The Nightbeat. She began her journalism career in 2006, after graduating from Syracuse University. She's anchored at NBC Philadelphia, KRIS in Corpus Christi, NBC Connecticut and KTSM in El Paso. Although born and raised in Brooklyn, Stephania considers Texas home. Stephania is bilingual! She speaks Spanish.

Alex Trevino is a video editor at KSAT who works on the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts.