John F. Garvey Obituary (1926 - 2012)

John F. Garvey, age 86, of Elmira, NY, formerly of Corning, died Saturday, December 29, 2012 at the Chemung County Nursing Facility in Elmira. John was born on April 22, 1926 in Lockhaven, PA to William and Margaret (Kyler) Garvey. He married Jean Schwenkler on May 29, 1954. He was a graduate of Rochester Business Institute. He served in the Army during World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart. He owned and operated a heavy equipment dealership, Charles J. Blackwell, Inc., in Horseheads, NY. John was very active in the community, and was a member of the Corning Elks (PER), Corning American Legion, Corning VFW, Steuben County Vigilantes, and the Horseheads Rotary Club where he received the Paul Harris Award. John was an avid NY Yankee fan, enjoyed fishing, golfing, bowling, cards, and animals; especially his dogs. He is survived by his wife Jean; two daughters, Mary Kay (David) Gronski of Corning and Virginia (Michael) Wolf of Woodbury, CT; five sons, Joseph Garvey of Corning, John W. Garvey of Horseheads, Patrick (Theresa) Garvey of Corning, Thomas Garvey of Elmira, and Paul (Wendy) Garvey of Broomfield, CO; 12 grandchildren, Stephanie, Jennifer, John, Greg, Kim, Mark, Megan, Eric, Adrian, Haley, Garbriella, James; and many cousins. John was predeceased by his daughter, Jean Linnan; sister, Mary Alice Garvey. Calling hours will be held on Friday January 4th from 3 until 7 PM at Haughey Funeral Home, Inc. 216 East First Street in Corning. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday at 10 AM at St. Mary's Church, 155 State Street in Corning. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery in Corning. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Chemung County Humane Society, 2435 State Route 352, Elmira, NY 14903, Tanners Paws, PO Box 1125, Corning, NY 14830, or a charity of your choice.