Reta Marguerite Garver

All Reta Garver wanted in life was to be a wife and mother. She got her first wish when she married her one and only sweetheart George Garver on February 1, 1946 – a loving marriage that thrived for 54 years. Together they had two daughters – Jeanne Ann and Carol. The ultimate mother, she was a Brownie troop leader and Girl Scout cookie chairman turned hard-working mom. Over the years, Reta has also been a wonderful daughter (caring for both her own and her husband’s elderly mothers); a steadfast sister to her three brothers and half-sister; a proud and affectionate aunt; and a best friend and neighbor. If you needed a shoulder to cry on, a good laugh, a home-cooked meal, twenty dollars until payday or an enthusiastic cheerleader, you could count on Reta. She was the person to phone at three in the morning if you really needed help-as many did. Reta Garver died on June 13, 2006 at age 79 after a full, rich life following a recent illness. She was born Reta Marguerite Ryan on March 31, 1927 in Youngstown. A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, she held a variety of jobs but was proudest of her many years working for Dr. Armin Banez. She was a member and deacon of Brownlee Woods Presbyterian Church and a member of Calon Lan Welsh Club. She liked the beaches of North Carolina, chocolate covered cherries, Days of Our Lives, the movie What About Bob? and Frank Sinatra (not necessarily in that order). She leaves behind the daughter that she gave life and everything else that matters Jeanne Ann Macejko of Austintown; Jeanne’s husband Thomas; sister-in-law Naomi Garver of Boardman; her beloved nephews Larry and Eric Ryan of Struthers: and her beautiful niece Ann Marie Johnson of Salem – all of whom miss her already. She is preceded in death by her husband George; her youngest daughter Carol; her brothers Larry, Robert and Harold Ryan; her half-sister Mary Louise Van Skiver; and her parents Harold and Dorothy Ryan. Calling hours for friends and family at Lane Funeral Home in Austintown are on Thursday, June 15, 2006 from 4:30 PM until 7PM and for one hour prior to memorial services. Services will be held at the funeral home at 11AM Friday, June 16, 2006. Reta loved flowers, so please feel free or better yet, give a bouquet to someone you love.