Tribute

Our Momma, Sandy Lynn Oliver Garrett was born on May 23, 1955. She was born to Priscilla and Van Oliver in Hot Springs, AR. She married James Garrett, SR in 1977. She sacrificed her entire life for us. During the time she needed to be a stay-at-home mom and take care of us, that is what she did. She raised three stair-stepped newborns while also raising a new to her 8-year-old. Then as we got older and our needs shifted she went to work outside the home to help with all the expenses that raising four kids entailed. She worked long hard hours on her feet, sometimes for over 10 or 12 hours a day. She would cook for others and then come home to be sure we had a freshly cooked meal on our table. I do not remember ever hearing her complain about any of it. She worked hard until she no longer was able to due to a sudden onset of symptoms that crushed our world in 2016. In one fell swoop she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer that had metastasized to her spine, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and COPD. All of these health issues may have brought her working days to a halt, but it began what we have called the fight of her life. She battled valiantly for seven long years. She fought the diagnosis hard many times more for us (her kids, her grandkids, and even the new great-grands) than she ever did for herself. She was the bravest and strongest woman we knew. She looked death in the eyes and fought it with tenacity, dignity, and grace for seven years. Then she made the brave decision to live what was left of her life in comfort and peace under the wonderful care of Chambers Hospice in our home. I can’t help but be amazed at her resilience and grace. She did not give up her fight, she just chose to live the life she had left and fight in a different way. She yet again looked death straight in the eyes and said I’m ready. She was surrounded by her family and friends when she peacefully passed on to the next life on June 8, 2023, at 10 AM. I can’t imagine having any other Momma. She taught our entire family what it means to work hard, to fight hard, to love hard, but most importantly, to LIVE hard. Thank you, Momma, for being our foundation and rock you were an inspiration to us all. Momma, graciously donated her body for scientific research so that others could learn from her fight and hopefully help someone else in the future. We will not have a traditional service, however, we will have a Celebration of Life Memorial on July 2, 2023, at 2 PM. The location will be The Rabbit Hole located in downtown Texarkana at 422 N. Stateline Ave.

Friends & Family

Daughter-Gloria Grace Garrett; Daughter-Priscilla Lee Ann Burnett; Son-James Garrett, Jr.; Daughter-Patricia Lynn Garrett