Winona Irene Davis Mcgarvey

Winona Irene Davis McGarvey passed away Friday, November 15, 2019. She is the daughter of John Emerson and Ruth Augusta Branstine Davis. Born on February 13, 1923 at Ridge Ranch, the family farm, five miles south of Orleans, Harlan County, Nebraska. She was the fourteenth of fifteen children. In 1927 her father bought another farm south of Stamford, Nebraska where she grew up as a farm girl and graduated from Stamford High School in 1940.
Following high school, she traveled to Fort Morgan, Colorado to find work. There she met her future husband Herbert Carlyle McGarvey. They were married in Denver, Colorado on July 27, 1941 while both were working at the Elitches Gardens Amusement Park. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple on August 27, 1951. During the War Herbert found work with the Department of Defense at the new Army Air Base, Hill Field, in northern Utah. In 1943, while he was stationed there, Winona went home to Nebraska and gave birth to their first son, Patric Carlyle McGarvey.
After Herbert obtained housing, Winona returned to Utah where they resided until the end of the war. In 1944 Winona was visited by Adelle Roberts, a stake missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Winona read the Book of Mormon and immediately knew it was of God. Being an avid reader Winona read other books and literature on the Church and on October 20, 1944 she was baptized. She has loved the living prophets from Heber J. Grant to Russell M. Nelson and has been true to her testimony of Jesus Christ. Winona never wavered from her conviction at any time even though it was unappreciated by many in her immediate and extended family. In 1945 she gave birth to her second son, Michael Herbert McGarvey.
Following the War, the family returned to Colorado. In late 1946 Winona returned to her parent’s farm in Nebraska and in early 1947 her third son, Delane Davis McGarvey was born. Within a few months after this birth Herbert was offered a position as manager of a jewelry store owned by Winona’s sister and brother-in law, Finnis and Jean Wills of Temple, Texas. The family lived in Texas until 1951.
Winona had a strong desire to return to Utah which was the driving force for the family to move to Salt Lake City. They bought a run-down house on Green Street just south of Liberty Park which they renovated and made into a home. Winona was the source of great joy to her family. She made life fun and adventurous. She was the instigator of entertaining parties, holidays and events, from hiking in the mountains (where you were to keep up the pace), to swimming in the Great Salt Lake (where you were responsible to getting the salt out of your own eyes). She also persuaded the city to close off Green Street to allow for a street party celebrating a neighbor family newly acquired United States citizenship. Winona was ambitious and had lots of energy opting to paint the exterior of her own house several times.
Winona supported her sons with a positive attitude in whatever they did. She expected you to put forth effort which was more important to her than the outcome. The gospel was taught in the home more at the dinner table and during the washing and drying of the dishes than in some set organized manner. She would go the extra mile for her children. On the Saturday before our two and half minute talks Mom would take us over to the ward house and sit in the back and make us deliver our talks so that she could hear them clearly. Our Saturday house cleaning projects were set to the standard that they had to good enough for President Eisenhower to come visit that evening. Nothing was boring to Winona. Wo to the son who said, “This is boring,” for she would soon set him straight. “There was nothing that is boring, only boring people.”
In 1960 Casey Kale McGarvey, her fourth son was born. Casey was a great joy to Winona and Herbert. Winona’s home was always a welcome place for her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews as well as anyone in need. If you came to visit Winona, you were going to get a taste of the Gospel or at least a visit to Temple Square which many of her visiting nieces and nephews experienced. A person that always will hold a special place in mom’s heart is Itsuko Tateoka, who stayed with mom for a few years and was loved as a daughter.
In 1990 her husband Herbert died and a few years later Winona moved to Bountiful, Utah. She resided there until 2018 when she moved to Daybreak in South Jordan, Utah.
Besides her parents and her husband Winona is preceded in death by her brothers; Roy, John Ralph, Carl Jacob, George, Sunny and Ted and by her sisters Grace, Mary, Truth, Wilma, Jean and Ariel, her son Michael, her daughter-in-laws Betty (Patric) and Leslie (Delane), and her grandson Steven McGarvey. She is survived by her sisters Dorothy and Shirley, her three sons and daughters-in-law Patric, Delane (Rebecca) and Casey (Karie), sixteen grandchildren and thirty-nine great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 6695 South 2200 West, West Jordan, Utah 84084 on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 11:00 AM with a viewing one hour prior. Interment to follow at Memorial Redwood Cemetery 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah 84123.
Service Information
Viewing November 23, 2019 at 10:00 - 11:00 AM
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 6695 South 2200 West, West Jordan, Utah 84084





Funeral Service
November 23, 2019 at 11:00 AM
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 6695 South 2200 West, West Jordan, Utah 84084