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mike keefe-keefe, beefies, beefe, whatever, dear frend of husband and best man by proxy
Some time back; at the time they were married, ie., for Grubunks, Gar, Denny, I took on the representation of many, that all would envy to be, their best man, at their wedding. I guess I have to admit, that perhaps I was the person of choice, since others, were unattainable to be at the wedding---such as the foremost, "Pilgrim", the notorious well loved Terrence "McCormich". Yes, as described in the newspaper, the wedding was a challenge, for what the weather provided, but at a minimum, no challenge was there for these two people, they graced the concept of marriage, as they both participated, then, and throughout their time together. This can all be evidenced by the great writings presented to us by their children. What a great send off one receives from children, one would want in and of their own. Now Back to the wedding itself-----with my wife of child, we challenged ourselves, and participated with great love in the finest connection of the concept of marriage I have ever participated in-All our love and admiration is extended to Linda and Denny from Mike and Patt Keefe. What a great receiving line heaven must have had for Linda's arrival, for it's now over on earth, and she awaites eternity with Den. Love
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Alex, Nephew
My Auntie Em left an impression on me early...and the nickname stuck too. I've taken a lot from my times with Auntie Em like living life all out, keeping a positive outlook, and how to take 100 CRISP $1 BILLS to the casino with me when I go. viva las vegas...viva auntie em.
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Bernice, Mother
Christmas 2008 my gift from Linda was an outhouse .I would expect nothing else.Linda was not ordinary. My first born was bright, funny and a good person.I will miss her.
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Zachie, Nephew
I too remember thinking how well Linda fit in with her family despite her frequent absence at the Romer gatherings. You knew she was family because she did not leave the party with a catatonic look on her face after one of uncle Steve's loud rants. Her sisters, brothers and mom seemed so enthused when she was present. I remember all being happy when she was in town. I see some of her personality traits in myself, being the oldest of the kids and all that entails as well as having a strong desire to explore. We love ya Auntie! Zach
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Rosalind Romer, sister-in-law
Linda was always fun to be with. She had such a beautiful childlike nature. She was so full of stories, fun and laughter. She lived with passion. Never a dull moment with Linda. But the one memory of Linda that I will always remember is the dream I had of her the morning after she left us. I dreamed she visited me and said she was hungry and so I made her a couple of fried eggs and toast. I offered to heat up some frozen fruit tarts for her but she said she was feeling better and had to go. Then I dreamt that the Gate of Harmony was about to open. I feel pretty sure Linda is in Heaven because she had a heart of gold. She was also someone who wanted to set things right, to fight for what's right and to make the world a better place to live. I'm sure she's with her brother Larry and her Dad, Ted. Now, she can be our angel, too.
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Gene Ramberg, brother-in-law
I never knew anyone who was faster to rush to a new idea than Linda. Anything different, untried, or un-heard-of seemed to fascinate her. A few examples: when she returned from several months of living in the wilds of Brazil, she announced that she wanted to live in a "yurt." She had to have a chesapeke-bay-retreiver before she knew much of anything about this type of dog. She drove us hundreds of miles across Colorado to have lunch at a tavern that sold bulls' balls. She got a goat and gave rides to all the kids in neighborhood. It also ate every plant on their property. Chickens, ducks, many dogs, cats, kids, she tried everything. She always seemed willing to move to another part of the country, buy any bizarre thing, travel to any exotic locale.
Linda was also the first to retreat from a new thing. She would discover the pitfalls and shortcomings before anyone else had even gotten used to the idea. She could chicken out on something so fast that she was done with it while everyone else was still considering it. It seemed like she would seize on any suggestion, interrogate anyone in reach and discard it before we could make up our own minds about it. It made me cautious to suggest things to her. Once she came up with an opening paragraph for a novel about two "car-crossed" lovers who meet each other in an auto accident. She told me that she and I would write the the novel in alternating chapters. I took the bait and wrote a first chapter. As soon as she saw where I was taking the story, she rejected the whole project. She had already moved on to several other things. Her mind was so quick, her questions so incisive, her decisions so final. So bold, so fast, so tentative.Anything new, Linda had already been there, tried that, rejected it.
I think that was what I liked best about Linda.
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Barbara, Sister
WE'VE BEEN THRU A LOT IN THESE PAST FIFTY NINE YEARS...IT TOOK ME AWHILE TO REALIZE THAT YOU WERE THE BEST BIG SISSY ANYONE COULD ASK FOR...BEAUTIFUL,SMART,FUNNY,CRITICAL TO A FAULT AT TIMES,A RESEARCHER/ WEB SURFER EXTRAORDINARIE, A BIT ECCENTRIC,A GOOD WIFE AND A GREAT MOTHER AND TEACHER... I WILL BE WAITING FOR A SIGN AND INSTRUCTIONS .....LOVE TO LARRY AND DAD AND MRS. GARVEY.....UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN...I AM LOVING AND MISSING YOU.....DAMN IT ANYWAY!!!
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Karen Robinson, Mariah's Friend
I'd known Mariah for three years before I met Mrs. Garvey but I felt like I already knew her. I'd heard so many stories and seen so many things that I admired in Mariah that I knew came from her mother. One of my first memories of Mrs. Garvey was a trip to a Civil War battlefield in Virginia. I'd shown up to hang out with Mariah and ended up being invited to a Garvey family outing. We hiked through the fields and at some point Annie said that she wasn't sure she'd had been willing to be a solider in the war if this is what they had to face. Without thinking I teased Annie by saying "I'm glad not everybody felt the same way." Mrs. Garvey stopped and just started laughing and laughing. I knew then that I found a home with the Garvey's. I always loved visiting Mrs. Garvey. I'd stop in and she'd be on the couch with her laptop and I always felt like she was excited to see me. We'd chat about politics, travel, my love life -- or, much to her dismay, the lack thereof. She'd give me pep talks and advice on how to navigate office politics. She was such a vibrant, fun person and I will miss her so much.
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janis langenhuysen, sister
To My Eldest and Most Honored Sissy....thank you for taking such good care of me when I was just a little girl. Although I have no memory of this, you have told me how you took me along on outings and even dates with boys. I like to think that this care you gave to me has somehow shaped who I am today. I think my earliest memory of you, is being a flower girl in your wedding, and I loved wearing the purple velvet dress that Grandma made, and the little fuzzy purple hand muffs, you made me feel so special to be included. Even though many years past with you raising your kids and me growing up, I am so thankful for the past several years when we have had the opportunity to see each other. Your laugh, and your beautiful smile are forever with me. I can see you clapping your hands together and saying SISSY!!!!! when we would meet. Our visits were filled with laughter,the latest being your Zoomba dance in Julies basement.... it brings a smile to my face. I miss you sissy, till we meet again.
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Katy Donlon, friend of Garvey family, sister of Laurie Garvey and Rick's sister-in-law
Today I saw a Coopers Hawk and a coyote and I thought about Linda. After spending 6 days in Vieques with her, I knew she loved wild and free creatures. It's too much to bear thinking of the loss her family must feel. After only knowing Linda for those 6 days, I was already beginning to connect with her. What a great time we had, Laurie, Linda and I. We went out in the mornings shopping for our dinners at home (which Linda instigated), shopping at the thrift store and buying clothes, (also instigated by Linda) and all the way gabbing like long-time girlfriends. Linda was outspoken and opinionated, but we shared a lot of the same views. We had some great conversations. We were going to exchange emails and I'm so sad I won't be able to learn more about Linda. I'll always cherish the six days we spent in Vieques. We just had so much fun.
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Andrew Gust, Nephew
I remember visiting Linda and the family in Las Cruces when I was younger. It was truly one of the most memorable times of my life. My favorite thing that happened involved their bird, Einstein. All of a sudden the bird stopped eating its food without explanation. Linda decided that it was my fault (cause my head was shaved) and did not allow me into the kitchen anymore. She was so convinced she was right until the bird continued to not eat. Eventually she found some chemicals next to its cage and found that was the reason. I remember laughing so much when she told me. It was all in good fun and I had a great trip. She was so welcoming and loving and fun. I will keep these memories forever.
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Mary, Unisys Coworker
I have a few memories of Linda that I will always treasure. We had quite the relationship. We butted heads quite a few times but it was all very good natured. We prided ourselves on how “witchy” we could be – always trying to be “witchier” than the other. For those of you familiar with the proposal production process you know it can be pretty stressful toward the end. I learned very early on that Linda couldn’t put books together or book check. It took her forever. She was always debating something with someone else in the room so therefore couldn’t concentrate on the task at hand. More than once I had to tell her to “step away from the table”. She was then free to debate until her heart was content. My latest memory of Linda came a week or so prior to her leaving Unisys. She had a going away gift request for me. At the time I didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until driving home after her service that it struck me how odd the request was. Then I was flattered. It was said that if Linda wanted answers she would do research until she found the answer. She came to me for this answer. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to show her. I never got the chance to teach her something like she had taught me things over the years. But I don’t think it’s too late. No way. Linda is stubborn enough to get the answer even now. So, Linda, watch over my shoulder and I know in no time at all you’ll learn how to run an automatic table of contents. Probably so well you’ll then pass on tricks to me! I miss you.
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Kathy Kaysen Murzyn, In Law via Garvey Family
Linda is the wife of my husband's Uncle Denny. As a fellow in-law to a large, tight family, Linda and I bonded over coffee and conversation. Because we lived far from each other, I always looked forward to holidays or the annual family reunion when I knew she was attending. Linda was spirited, opinionated, intelligent and wore her passions on her sleeve--qualities that drew me to her. In the past year we became Facebook buddies, which was fun and an easy to way to quickly connect. I will miss her so.
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Anne, A few day travel companion in Mexico
Mariah and Linda were travel mates with me in petting gray whales in Mexico. I so thoroughly enjoyed Linda's intellect, beauty, spunk and knowledge of birds. What was left--I became a bird lover, novice bird spotter. Linda knew everything about birds--she was a Sibley guide.
There are a few people in life that you meet and change your life forever. Linda was one of them. Though I was only around for a few days in her life I gained a love of watching the skies, birds specifically.. Thank you Linda and Mariah for spending those days with me.
Some may find an albatross a bad omen or some such--I hope that Linda now has an albatross's wings--to fly over the sky with enduring power, strength and conviction. That was her. That and she loved the whales--I mean who doesn't love a powerful piece of nature--that was Linda also.
Mariah, thank you for sharing your Mom with me however briefly.
Namaste,
Anne
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jo Ann Robinson, Mariah's friend Karens mom
Karen and Mariah met at grad school.They struck up a friendship they still share.I met Linda a few years later. We went with the "the girls" on a Late Night trip to Atlantic City.It was then I realized how lucky Karen was to be welcomed into the Garvey household when she visited with Mariah. I was impressed when I met Linda. She was easy to talk to and she could speak on so many subjects. I admired Linda's zest for life and stories of exciting trips she had taken.I know she will be forever missed by her family.I will miss not having the chance to know her better.
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caitlyn, niece
CATALYN (Linda)
Your distance from the rest of the romer clan brought up a lot of curiosity in my mind about you--Everyone always talked about you in such high esteem. Yet, even though I was rarely blessed with your presence, it always felt as if you had always been there. Watching you interact with grandma, and your sisters and brothers, it was like you hadn't missed a beat. You were right in there arguing and laughing with the best of them. Your truly engulfing passion for the little things in life was admirable--you loved life in a way so many wish they could. Your uncontrollable laughter was contagious--i never have seen my mom, barbara, and janis laugh the way they did with you. You had a beautiful smile that was larger than life. When you spoke you never held back; you could care less what people thought. You were, and i believe still are, a great influence on everyone that has had the pleasure to meet you. You made the people around you more outgoing, sometimes uncomfortable, and happy as ever, miss Catalyn, and it will truly be missed. "WEREWOLF: OPEN YOUR EYES."
We all miss you dearly.
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emily, niece
Linda ~ I have always looked up to you and considered you a powerful inspiration in my life. You were brilliant, you had a vibrant personality, and your sense of humor was unequaled. You will be dearly missed.
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Jenny, Friend, co-worker
I started to work for Linda in the winter of 1998. I realized immediately that I was priviliged to be working with someone who was smart, savvy, and funny. She taught me everything I know about federal proposals. I owe her so much, and will miss her so much. Linda was tough on me at first, but she also made me see how important the details are--not only when it comes to proposals! I will never forget our interview because when she stood up to walk me out, I was surprised that she was taller than I am (I am not short by any means). A few months later during a late night on a proposal, she was teasing me about being shy. I told her "I'm not shy, I'm just afraid of you because you are bigger than me!" She laughed and laughed, hit me with her RFP, and then called me "Shorty" for months!
Linda had good advice for every situation, the ability to see beyond the immediate problem and find a resolution, and the brains to keep all those around her on their toes. If you had a question about anything, she always went looking for an answer. We could talk about books for hours. We talked about books, health, execise, pets, and family. The love and pride she had for her family was a sight to see and taught me what is important in life.
My heart and thoughts are with her family. Linda will be missed.
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Livi, Niece
Despite how rare the occasions in which I was graced with your warm presence, my beloved Auntie, I know that I will greatly miss you. You came at life with a desire to really LIVE it-- stronger than anybody I've ever met.
Words cannot even BEGIN to express just how exceptional you are, nor your ability to approach life with zero regrets. It will be strange not to hear a few too many awkward details while watching Little People, Big World with you.
I loved your bold and strong willed personality in which you never compromised yourself. You had a beautiful smile, and if one looked close enough, they could see the adventure that twinkled softly behind your eyes. You were even hip enough to have a Facebook
I hope the adventure is even greater on the other side, my beautiful Catalyn
With much love, Livi Lou
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Julie, Sister
Dearest Sissy,
You -- Beautiful, Intelligent, Fun. You loved your children passionately, enjoyed life’s experiences, and were always trying interesting things. Wherever you were, laughter would fill the room. Your presence was so powerful and now there is an emptiness, a void in our lives. You were so loved.
To our Kundalini, fire-breathing, zumba dancer, exercise queen, literature lover, until we meet again, we carry you in our hearts.
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Charlie Bobbish, Friend
I first met Linda in 1996 when she went to work for Unisys. She showed early on that she could write incredibly well. I once told her, as I have told others, I could pick up a proposal and tell where her writing started and stopped, as it was that much better that the rest of the prop. Among a group of very good proposal writers, she was the best.
Working with her showed us all that Linda was, in a word, a hoot. She enjoyed debate (well, arguing is more like it). She and I argued about everything (I seem to recall a good one about the effects of levoxyl), and it was all in good fun. I once had some fun at her expense. She didn’t like to drive in the DC area. So, one day we had to drive to Rockville for a meeting. I volunteered to drive, and put on a display of all the attributes that get Boston drivers labeled among the worst in the nation. She fussed and fumed at me the whole time, and I just kept driving like a Bostonian and laughing. But she was a trooper, and took it all in stride. Of course, she got even with me a few months later. I was driving us to yet another meeting, and got lost. I still cringe at the 'constructive' feedback I got that day!
The thing is, in real discussions, as well as in the fun arguments, it wasn’t ever personal with Linda. What was personal was how she would check up on me to see if I were ok after a long day, take the time to shoot the bull and have a good laugh about something, or offer to take on my workload when I had a medical problem. She was never too busy to help anyone. She cared about all of us. She was a kind person, and I will miss her. We all will.
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Charles Pekor, Coworker and friend
I hired Linda last November to come work with me in a newly created position at my company - It seemed that Linda was looking for a new challenge in a small, growing company and I knew I would be very lucky to be able to work with her. Linda was a wonderful person in a lot of ways, extremely intelligent and inquisitive, to the point, very open minded, and a lot of fun to just sit and chat with. She did a great job and was consistently wanting to be challenged with more responsibilities. I learned a good bit from her in a relatively short period of time and will absolutely miss her.
She also spoke a lot about and obviously cared deeply for her family, who my thoughts and prayers go out to. I will remember my time working with her with a smile on my face as we are all richer for having known her.
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Karen Baer, Friend of Annika
Although I have a horrible long term memory, I'm pretty sure if I was greeted with a busy signal when calling the Garvey house during summer break from college in attempts to reach Annika, it was because Ms. Garvey was on the internet. She had a way of finding everything and anything on the internet. One day, Annika and I decided to go the art galleries in DC. One of my favorite artists was Chuck Close and at the gallery shop I was bound and determined to find a print or book with his work. I found nothing. Upon arriving back at the Garvey's, I must have mentioned it to Ms. Garvey because a while later, I received one of Close's prints. Not only was Ms. Garvey refreshingly blunt, she was also creatively generous.
Annika and family, my thoughts are with you...Love to you all.
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Kathryn Dolan, Friend of Annika
The Garvey New Mexico household was always so vibrant. With pets, kids, music, games, and projects--you had to hold your own. As a high school friend of Annie's we spent many times at the Garvey house. Mrs. Garvey was always welcoming to let us go swimming and even stay overnight in the motor home. (That's as close to camping as I ever got! Thanks to her I have at least a quasi-camping experience!) She was a very determined person--who let us girls know we should stand up for ourselves. She always told you how it was--not what you wanted to hear--but the truth. It's a great quality that will certainly be missed.
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Kitty, Annika's friend
I loved hearing stories about Mrs. Garvey when Annika and I were roommates. I remember thinking, someone's MOM goes on all these exotic, adventurous vacations, mountain biking, etc.?
Mrs. Garvey was blunt in a such an endearing, laughable way. When Kelly (Annika's childhood friend) and I went with the Garveys to pick flowers for Annika's wedding, Kelly and I went off by ourselves, trying to find the perfect neutral toned flowers to complement our rusty pink bridesmaid dresses. We came back to Mrs. Garvey, proud of our choices and eager to hear her praise. Instead, she said, "Oh Kitty, those flowers don't look too good." The flowers we were holding were dead.
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Steve, Son-in-law
Big Momma was a big fan of GAMES magazine and introduced me to a type of puzzle called a cryptic crossword. The cryptic is different from a typical crossword because each clue has two parts: a normal clue and a cryptic one. Each part has the same answer. The trick is to (1) figure out what the two parts are (2) determine which part is cryptic and which is normal (3) find an answer that works with both parts of the clue. I have spent many hours enjoying solving these puzzles and I'll always be grateful to Big Momma for introducing them to me.
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Steve, Son-in-law
Shortly after getting engaged to Annika, she, her mom and I went on a whale watching cruise in Boston. After the cruise, her mom came up to me and said "I've been meditating on it, and I've decided I think you should call me 'Big Momma'." I thought it was a fun name and it showed that she was thinking about my point of view as I joined her family.
Giving herself a fun nickname for me to use was just one of many things Big Momma did to make me feel included in the family. She included me on Garvey family cruises, called me up for "tech support," gave me a warm hug every time we got together, and always made me feel like a smart guy who could fix any problem and solve any puzzle she had.
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Annika Garvey, Daughter
I have so many fond memories of my mother that it is difficult to pick just one (or even 100). One of my most recent memories is when she took the family on a cruise in the Caribbean. We were in Jamaica, and as a gift to her, I gave her a "scenic mountain bike ride". My mother, being very intuitive, was very apprehensive of this bike ride and asked the tour guide several times if it was dangerous or extremely difficult. The tour guide responded, as all good tour guides in Jamaica do, "you'll have no problem, man." Well, problems we all had as it was a very rocky and serious ride and we were given sub-par bikes. Several people fell and scraped their knees and hands. At one point, my mom had enough and decided to get back in the bus, but she wasn't there for long. Even though she was nervous for every minute of it, she got back on the bike and rode the rest of the way down the mountain. She was so determined to "have fun," she put aside her fear of heights and falling to join me on the mountain bike trip from hell.
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This site is dedicated to the memory of a caring mother, an artistic writer and an overall interesting and vibrant person.
Linda Garvey was born in Ventura, California on June 20, 1945. She grew up pursuing many passions, but her first love was reading.
She devoured books and eventually earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. Before finishing her degrees,
she wanted to try to make a difference in the world and joined the Peace Corps where she was sent to Brazil to help teach English.
It was during this time that she met Dennis Garvey, the man she would soon call her husband. They were married during a blizzard on
December 31, 1968 in Portland, OR. She finished her degrees at the University of Wyoming and started her career in freelance
writing.
In November 1978, Linda gave birth to a little girl whom she named Mariah--this started her most dedicated passion:
the role of mother. At 5 year intervals, she had two more children, Annika and Mick. She put her heart and soul into
raising her kids, helping them to become helpful, successful and well-rounded individuals.
After her kids were old enough, she started working outside the home, becoming a technical writer and proposal manager
at Lockheed Martin, Unisys Corp. and finally TOWER Software.