Memorials › Rachel Dean Hervey Garrette

Rachel Dean Hervey Garrette

30 Oct 1924 – 3 Oct 2022

Birth30 Oct 1924
Death3 Oct 2022
CemeteryResthaven Gardens Cemetery
Oklahoma City , Cleveland County , Oklahoma , USA
Added byTheOldChief on 06 Oct 2022
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/244218403

Bio

On Monday, October 3, Rachel Dean (Hervey) Garrette, devoted wife and mother of three, died peacefully at the home of her daughter Judy in Midwest City, OK, at the age of 97, just 27 days shy of her 98th birthday. Rachel was born October 30, 1924, in Oklahoma City to Edwin Eugene and Merle (Graham) Hervey. She was the third child in a family of two girls and four boys and a larger extended family. In fact, family and her church were the prime forces in her life. Rachel was certain she was the favorite child, but that was disputed by her five siblings at one of the family's week-long reunions, each of them providing proof that "they" were the favorite. Rachel graduated from Capitol Hill High School in 1942. While there she was a member of the synchronized swim team. She played with an all-girls accordion band whose performances could be heard on a local radio station During WWII Rachel married high school sweetheart George Edwin Garrette (Painter, Third Class, in the U.S. Navy) on April 11, 1943. They are survived by their children Gail Dean Columbus, Ronald Lewis Garrette (Chris), and Judy Ann Compton (Harlon). When Rachel's youngest started school she began working in the cafeteria at Shields Heights Elementary. She continued in the public school system, eventually becoming the manager of cafeterias in Emerson Elementary and Prairie Queen Elementary. She was at work only when her children were in school. She was saved at a Billy Graham Crusade. Because of her love for children, she worked in the nursery at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and did so for many years. She taught the 3rd grade Sunday school class for many years as well. Using her cafeteria skills, she worked to prepare meals for the Wednesday night church suppers. She enjoyed cooking for Falls Creek church camp even years after her own children were no longer in the youth group. The Garrette family spent many vacations in campgrounds in Oklahoma, Arkansas and elsewhere. The extended Hervey family gathered every three years at Platt National Park, Beavers Bend State Park and eventually on property owned by her parents at Lake Eufaula. Competition reigned in games of skill, intellect, athletics, and especially card games and dominoes. For her part, just like her siblings, Rachel enjoyed playing to win. In retirement, she accompanied George on his trips across the U.S. as he searched records to trace genealogy. Her travels included many of the smallest towns in the country. Eventually the travels took them to all 50 states and even Canada during their cross-country trip to Alaska and the Montreal Olympic Games. Their last long trip followed the Lewis and Clark expedition west. She also took up piano and enjoyed playing in recitals As "Pokey Okie," Rachel accompanied "Oklahoma George" in many sections of the Appalachian Trail, carrying her own backpack. Off the trail, she provided transportation to and from the trail for many hikers. They made good friends along the way and often attended the Appalachian Trail Days Festival in Damascus, VA. George's first attempt at thru-hiking was interrupted by a recuperation from burned feet. His next attempt was successful. Rachel drove by herself, stopping in campgrounds along the way, from Oklahoma to Maine, meeting up with George for a section or two in his final phase of the AT. After George's stroke, she was his sole caregiver for five years. He spent his last five years at the VA Center in Norman, Oklahoma. At the age of 92 she decided to move to Southwest Mansions so she wouldn't have the house and property to care for, a decision made on her own as were her decisions to stop driving and to sell her car. Rachel enjoyed five and a half years (March 2017 – September 2022) of independent living there, making good friends, participating in the exercise program and many other activities, notably including jigsaw puzzles, bingo, Wheel of Fortune, Trivia and entertainment. Rachel passed along her love of quilting to her children. She made quilts for the weddings of each of her grandchildren. Many of those were quilted by her mother

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