Mary Evelyn Garner

Mary Evelyn Garner was called home to her Savior July 23, 2021. She was born October 18, 1931, the firstborn of William Francis and Agnes Regina (Duley) Wyvill in Washington, D.C. She attended St. Mary of the Assumption School, Marlboro Elementary, Marlboro High School and was in the first graduating class of Frederick Sasscer High School. She graduated from Garfield School of Nursing in 1953 and worked there for two years. She later was hired at Prince George’s General Hospital. In 1963, she established the medical unit for Edgemeade, a new residential treatment center for boys, where she dedicated herself for the next 36 years as Nursing Director. In 1954, she married local farmer James Garner. They established a home on his family farm in Croom where they raised five children. She was very family oriented and loved farm life, cooking, canning and tending her flower gardens and yard. She was a lifelong member of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. She will always be remembered for her outgoing personality and quick wit. She is survived by her five children; Thomas James Garner, III, Deborah Agnes Dillard (Bill), Mary Renee Baden (Paul), Brenda Ann Payne, Sharon Lynn Bookwalter (Robert), 15 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, siblings Frankie Wyvill (Donna), Maria Jackson (George), Robert Wyvill (Winnie), Sylvia Baird (Kenny), and a host of other relatives and dear friends. She is preceded in death by her husband of 30 years, Thomas James Garner, Jr., father William Francis Wyvill, mother Agnes Regina Wyvill, stepmother Eunice B. Wyvill, sisters Connie Harris and Sandra Wyvill, son-in-law Dexter Payne, brother-in-law Matthew Harris and nephew Gregory Harris, father and mother-in-law Tom and Blanche Garner, and sister and brother-in-law Annabelle and Jerry Buchanan. The family will receive friends at Lee Funeral Home Calvert, 8200 Jennifer Lane, Owings, MD 20736 on Friday, August 6, 2021 from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, 14908 Main St, Upper Marlboro, MD, 20772 on Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, 8000 Woodyard Road, Clinton, MD 20735. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, or St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church (Upper Marlboro). To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mary Evelyn Garner please visit our Sympathy Store.