Avard McGarvin

Avard Huestis McGarvin
September 24, 1938 ? October 21, 2015
Avard (Huestis) McGarvin, a fifty year resident of Harvard, Massachusetts, died after a short illness on October 21, 2015. She was born in Houlton, Maine on September 24, 1938, the daughter of the late Leon Scott and Berniece "Bunny" (Thompson) Huestis and was the beloved wife of Michael McGarvin who predeceased her in 1988.
She grew up in Manchester, Connecticut and attended Syracuse University where she received a bachelor degree in Nursing, then Boston University where she earned a masters in Nursing Education. She practiced nursing and served on the faculty of Massachusetts General Hospital and Emerson Hospital. She later worked as a school nurse for the Ayer School District. She spent the last twenty years of her career working as a nurse for Bullock-Lawton Nursing Service, nurse manager at Waltham Visiting Nurse Association and Nashoba Nursing Association.
She met her husband Michael while living and working in Boston in the early 1960's. They married in 1963 and soon settled in the small town of Harvard, Massachusetts where they raised their two children. She coached recreational softball, was a frequent Girl Scout leader, and taught CCD classes at St. Theresa's Catholic Church while her children were young. Once her grandchildren were born she became a member of Trinity Church in Bolton, were they were members, in order to spend more time with them. At Trinity Church she discovered a love of working with young children in the Mom-to-Mom program and she became a frequent and much-loved fixture in the church nursery. Her hobbies and interests included reading, sewing, crafts, volunteering, and spending time at the family home on Wilson Lake in Acton, Maine.
She is survived by her son John McGarvin of Harvard, daughter Carol (McGarvin) Bradlee of Bolton, and grandchildren Noah, Olivia, and Theresa. She is also survived by her sister Carol (Huestis) Measom, nieces Kristen and Amy Renn, and nephew Daniel Renn, along with many dear friends.
A memorial celebrating the life of Avard McGarvin will be held at Trinity Church in Bolton, MA at 4:00 pm on Saturday October 24th.
For those wishing to make a donation in Avard McGarvin's name the family suggests either the Harvard Public Library at 4 Pond Road, Harvard, MA 01451 or Mom-to-Mom at Trinity Church, 14 Wattaquadock Hill Road, Bolton, MA 01740.