Helen Garvey of Waterbury
A Quiet Gift
Helen Garvey did not get the chance to have the education she may have wanted, but her generous gift means that others will have that chance.
Mrs. Garvey, then Helen Clark, moved to Waterbury as a young woman, when she came to live with the family of Pat Cruess. The two women became close and remained friends for over 50 years. “We were more like sisters,” Pat remembered.
Pat called her friend a forthright person and an avid reader who enjoyed a good movie, being around young people, and singing in the choir at St. Margaret’s Church. She had different jobs over the years, including cutting hair for a time.
Her husband, James Garvey, a school custodian, was remembered as a well-read person who laughed easily. “He was one of those hidden, smart men,” Pat said.
They lived carefully but comfortably, taking trips to the beach and sometimes to Ireland to visit his relatives. After her husband’s death, she took pleasure in their home, which was filled with the sounds of her pet birds – up to four at one point. “They were like children,” her friend recalled. “They chirped when she came in and it was really something to hear. She talked to them and they talked to her.”
But one thing she never talked about, at least to her friend, was her plan to leave a legacy to the community. The Helen L. and James P. Garvey Funds, established through a bequest from Mrs. Garvey, will benefit the Foundation’s grant making and scholarships to area students forever.
Even though her gift was a surprise to her closest friend, the reasons behind it were not. It makes sense that Helen would have wanted it that way. “She would like to help others, and she would have liked to have had a better education,” Pat said.
