Esther Joyce McGarry

Esther “Joyce” McGarry, age 93, of Bellingham, Washington, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2024, surrounded by her family.

Joyce was born on May 11, 1931, to Stanley and Bonnie Weaver in Los Angeles, California while they were on furlough from their mission work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They returned to Coquilhatville, Congo when she was 6 months old, and lived there until she was 4 years old. She learned their native language of Lingala, and she could speak and sing songs in Lingala for the rest of her life. The Congolese name she was given was Bocinda. Growing up in the Congo fostered a lifelong love for the Congolese people that led her to donate often to the needy around the world.

She graduated from George Washington High School in 1949, and afterward attended the University of Southern California and Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma.

In 1952, she met George McGarry at a dance hall, and after 2 hours of dancing and talking, she decided she was going to marry him. They got to know each other by writing letters for 3 and a half years while George was deployed around the world with the Navy. He proposed above the cliffs on Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California, and they were married on August 28, 1955. They began their married life living on the naval base at Bremerton, Washington, and after 6 months they moved home to Southern California. George and Joyce had two children, Mike and Cindy. After realizing they needed more space, they bought a house in Whittier, California and had two more children, Julia and Mark.

Joyce spent her adult life as a “domestic engineer” – she ran the show! She encouraged her children to be involved in many activities and supported them by going to almost every single event. Joyce also loved to volunteer, which included the PTA for 26 years, Girl Scouts for 40 years, Boy Scouts for 20 years, teaching Sunday School for 47 years, voting booths for 35 years, and food drives for 32 years.

She was an accomplished seamstress, and made dresses, outfits, two wedding dresses, and over 100 quilts! She loved to create special quilts for her family or to give away as gifts, and her children treasure all the things she made for them.

Joyce loved the outdoors and loved experiencing it with her children. Gardening was one of her favorite hobbies, and her roses were always beautifully kept. She enjoyed planning cross-country trips, and the whole family loved packing up the station wagon and taking off to see the country. At the age of 35, she even started backpacking to help bring wilderness experiences to her Girl Scout Troop, they affectionately gave her the camp name Shamrock. This led her to discover a love for hiking that spanned many years, with her last trip at the age of 78!

Joyce was predeceased by her father and mother, Stanley and Bonnie Weaver, and sisters Sarah Cornwell and Marian Shelley. She is survived by her husband, George McGarry, their children, Mike (wife Gina), Cindy (husband Brian), Julia (husband Marc), Mark (wife Tami), grandchildren, Bonnie, Daniel, Denise, Amber, Erin, Ashley, Matthew, Cameron, and Kiley, great-grandchildren, Kinlee, Tommy, Harley, Andy, Addie, and Micah.

The memorial service will be held at First Christian Church in Bellingham.