Teacher and mum-of-four Irma Garcia died in the Texas shooting. Two days later her husband died from grief.

This post includes distressing details, and could be triggering for some readers.

Irma Garcia died protecting her students when a gunman open fired in a Texas elementary school classroom this week. 

Two days later, her husband of 24 years, Joe Garcia, died from a heart attack. 

The mother-of-four's nephew announced the second tragedy for the family on Twitter writing, "the pain doesn't stop".

"Extremely heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma’s husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief," her nephew, John Martinez, wrote. 

"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."

EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma’s husband Joe Garcia has passed away 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 pic.twitter.com/GlUSOutRVV

— john martinez ❤️‍🔥 (@fuhknjo) May 26, 2022

Speaking to the New York Times, Martinez said Joe, 50, visited a memorial to his wife on Thursday to drop off flowers. 

When he returned home, "he pretty much just fell over". 

In a GoFundMe set up by the family, Irma's cousin, Debra Austin, wrote that she believes "Joe died of a broken heart". 

"Losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear," she wrote.

The couple were high school sweethearts and leave behind four children, including a 23-year-old, 19-year-old, 15-year-old and 13-year-old, Martinez wrote on Twitter.

Irma was one of the 21 people - which included 19 children and her co-teacher Eva Mireles - who lost their lives in the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Martinez first announced the 46-year-old's death on Facebook writing, "My tia did not make it, she sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom, I beg of you to keep my family including all of her family in y’all’s prayers, IRMA GARCIA IS HER NAME and she died a HERO." 

Image: Robb Elementary School.

He later told the Times that when law enforcement officers entered the classroom after the shooting, they "found her 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," he said. 

One of the students who survived the attack also told KENS 5 that Irma and Mireles "were nice teachers" and tried to save the students. 

"They went in front of my classmates to help. To save them," he said. 

According to her school's profile, Irma has been teaching for 23 years, five of which were alongside Mireles.

"Hello Boys and Girls!... I am Mrs. Garcia and I will be one of your 4th grade teachers this year. I am so excited to begin this new school year already!" she wrote in her profile. 

Feature Image: Twitter@fuhknjo