Lillian M. Garvin, a devoted wife and mother, and member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, died in the home of her daughter on May 1, 2015. She was 90.
Lillian was born on July 24, 1924, to Jerome Gonsalves and Maude (Haskins) Gonsalves in Oak Bluffs. She was the firstborn child of a family of 12. Lillian took on the responsibility of the care of her siblings with pride and joy. She often talked about the days of Depression, and how they made it through.
Lillian worked at the Rice Playhouse during the summer of her teenage years. She was asked to travel with the group, but had to decline for family reasons. But her love for music never left her, and she would play music and sing at home, always going to the movies and dreaming of becoming an actress.
Her love for the Lord started at a young age also, as she was a member of the Bradley Memorial Church at 9 years old, and would continue to follow the Lord through her life, always praying and believing in the Lord. She raised five children to follow in the beliefs of having a spiritual life. She was a member of the Apostolic House of Prayer for 35 years.
During the World War II era, Lillian married a Navy sailor named Ernest Garvin, who came from Gainesville, Fla., and was stationed at a radar installation on Peaked Hill in Chilmark. They met at the USO dances and fell in love, and married on August 15, 1945.
After moving to New Bedford for a short time, they came back to the Island and lived in Oak Bluffs, where they raised five children together. In their early years of marriage Lillian would shuck scallops while her husband worked as a house painter. She was a devoted wife and mother, and took pride in those roles.
She loved gardening, and together they had the most beautiful yard, filled with flowers and fruit trees.
She worked summers as a housekeeper, and as a seamstress at Woodchips for many years. She became a receptionist at Tisbury Senior Center, and worked there until she was 88 years old.
Lillian was predeceased by her husband Ernest Garvin in February 1991. She is survived by five children, Pastor Marcia (Garvin) Buckley of Oak Bluffs; Yvonne (Garvin) Michelson and husband Richard Michelson of Oak Bluffs; Ernest Garvin and wife Denise Garvin of Idaho; Stephen Garvin and wife Trudy Garvin of Oak Bluffs; and Linda (Garvin) Scott and husband Francis Scott of Aquinnah; as well as her siblings Frank, Dennis and Jerome Gonsalves, Sybil Moreis, Audrey Moreis, and Sandra Porrata. She was predeceased by siblings Phyllis Rogers and Phillip Gonsalves. She is survived also by 14 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren, plus numerous nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank everyone for the flowers, cards, donations and condolences. They were much appreciated, and helped comfort the family. Donations may be made in her memory to the House of Prayer, P.O. Box 907, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.