Submitted by: Dan Rich

Robert Louis Garvey Sr.

Feb. 9, 1920 - Feb. 26, 2003

South Bend Tribune 4/27/2003

Robert Louis Garvey Sr., 83, was born in Johnston, R.I., at home in the middle of a snowstorm, the sixth of nine children of Edward George and Valeda Bernard Garvey. After a long and generous life, Bob departed this earth on a bright and sunny day in Minneapolis, Minn. Bob enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served with the 4th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) for three years in the Pacific during World War II.

Before shipping out he had the good fortune to meet his lifelong sweetheart, Rita Iris Archambault, a Navy nurse. They were married in West Warwick, R.I., on Oct. 21, 1945, and moved to South Bend, Ind., where they lived for 54 years. Bob and Rita built a comfortable life, raised six children, and enjoyed traveling all over the U.S. and to Ireland, New Zealand, Japan and South America. Rita died Sept. 11, 2001, and Bob moved to Minneapolis.

Bob is survived by his children, Edward of Santa Rosa, Calif., Gail of Richfield, Minn., Robert Louis Jr. and his wife, Nina Costales of Richmond, Calif., Peter and his wife, Kathie of South Bend, Patrick and his wife, Anne Zachman of St. Paul, Minn., and Kathleen and her husband, Steven Erickson of Kearney, Mo. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren, Ellen Schott, Elizabeth Schott and her husband, Brent Watters, Charles Schott, Lewis Istok, Timothy Garvey, Will and Audra Garvey, Harper and Tess Garvey, Rita and Nels Erickson; two brothers, William and his wife, Eileen of Bluffton, Ind., and John and his wife, Betty of Reseda, Calif.; two sisters, Agnes McCormick of Ormand Beach, Fla., and Esther Clairville of Franklin, N.C.; two sisters-in-law, Waneta Garvey of Indianapolis, Ind., and Janet Garvey of South Bend; and by many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two brothers, George and Bernard both of South Bend; and two sisters, Alice and Madeline.

Bob loved a good joke as well as several bad ones, and he delighted in sharing them. No one who had the pleasure of meeting Bob Garvey remained a stranger for long. In spite of over 50 years in the Midwest, he retained his Rhode Island accent and was well-known for his "chowda" and clamcakes. He taught himself to play the ukulele, sang in a barber shop quartet and the church choir, was a creative Scrabble player, a master of the crossword puzzle, and an armchair champion at Jeopardy. Bob enjoyed the company of family and friends and felt strongly about community service. He was involved in the Christian Family Movement, the Roseland Rotary Club, Dismas House, Holy Cross Parish and the Knights of Columbus. He attended Navy Seabee reunions until 2002. He delivered food to various charities for the Roseland Rotary Food Project for years after his retirement from the workforce.

A Mass in celebration of his life will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Church, South Bend, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 3rd.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred and checks may be made payable to "The Rotary Foundation" (Memory of Bob Garvey). Checks may be sent to the Roseland Rotary, c/o Bob Stephens, P.O. Box 2348, South Bend, IN 46680. The Hickey Funeral Home, Cleveland Road, 289-1000, is in charge of arrangements.