Barbara Jean Garvey

WALLINGFORD - Bobbie Jean Garvey, 86, peacefully departed this life on July 19, 2023, at Leete's Island, CT, her favorite place on Earth.

Bobbie was born on March 9, 1937, to the late Edmond and Arline (Bachand) Foucault and was raised in Wallingford, CT. She attended Holy Trinity School and graduated from Lyman Hall. After high school, she met Frank Garvey on a blind date. They were soon married and moved overseas after Frank, an Air Force lieutenant, was assigned to Japan. They began a family and later settled in  New York - first in Queens and later, Manhasset. Bobbie returned to school when she was in her 40s and attended Queens College, where she earned a degree in education. She worked as a nursery school teacher in Manhasset. Following the death of her husband in 1995, Bobbie moved back to her childhood home and remained in Wallingford for the rest of her days. Though she moved frequently throughout her life, one location remained constant: Leete's Island in Guilford, CT, where she spent every summer in the company of cherished family and friends.

Some of Bobbie's favorite interests included swimming, biking, reading, knitting, making chili sauce, going to the theater, backseat driving, and attending her grandchildren's many activities. Her least favorite interest: cooking. She took great pride in volunteering at the Wallingford Emergency Center soup kitchen, handling calls for a variety of crisis hotlines, participating in the Boston to NY AIDS Ride (when she was 60!) and being regarded as a second mom to all her children's friends. Nothing, however, made her prouder than her children and grandchildren and nothing brought her more joy than cheering them on as their biggest fan.

Bobbie is survived by her five devoted children: Megaera and Joe Regan, Philip Garvey and Jennifer Klena, Adrienne Ferretti, Stephen and Donna Garvey, Kristen and Doug Moneta, her 11 adoring grandchildren: Hannah, Paul, Grayson, Macanna, Christopher, In Hwa, Riley, Harper, Reese, Ellie, Lea, her siblings: Ann Settel and Peter Foucault and many longtime friends and loved ones, including Gail, Alisa, Kathleen, and Carol. She is preceded in death by Frank, her husband of 38 years, Buck White, her partner of 13 years, her two children, Frank and Sharon and her beloved sister, Jan Henson.

Her family will receive friends and visitors on Thursday, July 27th from 4:00 - 6:00 PM at B.C. Bailey Funeral Home, 273 S. Elm St., Wallingford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 10:00 AM at Most Holy Trinity Church, 84 N. Colony St., Wallingford. Friends are asked to meet directly at the church. Interment in Long Island will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Sisters' Project (thesistersproject.org).

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