- Date Of Birth: January 20, 1929
- Date Of Death: December 26, 2015
- State: Maryland
Godfrey Garvey, 86, of Ellicott City, died December 26 surrounded by family at Gilchrist Hospice in Columbia.
Born in Irvington section of Baltimore, he grew up in Catonsville, MD. He was the son of Gertrude and James F. Garvey.
He graduated from Mount St. Joseph High School in 1947, and went on to graduate from Loyola College in 1950 with a degree in business administration.
A veteran of the Korean War, Godfrey came home to marry his sweetheart, Joan Peters. Joan and Godfrey were married for 62 years.
In 1962, Godfrey opened a plumbing company, Garvey Plumbing & Heating Inc. As a plumbing contractor, much of his work involved construction of a new town in Howard County: Columbia, Maryland. One of his greatest sources of pride was mentoring his employees to take the initiative in running projects. Many of these employees became master plumbers and have plumbing companies in the area today.
As an alumnus of Mt. St. Joseph, he was passionate about giving back to the school and making it more affordable for students who couldn’t afford tuition. He and his wife created a scholarship to benefit students who are not able to afford tuition. Godfrey’s son and two of his grandsons have attended Mount St. Joe in his footsteps.
He will be remembered for his dry sense of humor and generosity to many organizations.
He was active in Boy Scouts on the Baltimore Area Council and has received recognition for his many years of service and self-sacrifice. For several years, he served the city’s poor as a weekly volunteer for Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in downtown Baltimore.
As a parishioner of historic St. Paul’s Church in Ellicott City for 50 years, he was very involved in the committee which oversaw the expansion of the church.
He spent many years sailing the bay with his family on weekends in the summer, and he learned to ski at 55 years of age and skied until the age of 72. A huge supporter of the Orioles, he would watch every game. He and his wife celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with their children and grandchildren at a suite at the Orioles game. In his spare time, he loved to play cards and work on intricate jigsaw puzzles.
In addition to his wife, Joan, survivors include his children, Maureen Garvey, Brian Garvey, Joanne Garvey Novak, Mary Lynn Hansen (husband, James), and Michael Garvey (wife, Jenny); proud grandfather of Jacob and Luke Hansen, and Noah, Alex and Christian Garvey; dear brother of Mary Gertrude Kirsch and Jane McManus.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Harry H.
4112 Old Columbia Pike Ellicott City MD, 21043
Wednesday, December 30, 2015, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Harry H.
4112 Old Columbia Pike Ellicott City MD, 21043
Thursday, December 31, 2015, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
St. Joseph’s Monastery
3801 Old Frederick Rd. Baltimore MD, 21229
Interment
Thursday, December 31, 2015, 1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez
10800 Old Court Road Woodstock MD, 21163
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez
10800 Old Court Road Woodstock MD, 21163
