Mary J. Garrison

Mary Jean (Leech) Garrison of Toledo, Ohio, passed away peacefully on January 11, 2025. She was 102 years old.

Mary was born on May 28,1922, to Stacy and Ruth (Eastman) Leech, in New York City, NY. The family lived in Garden City, Long Island, until the depression and then made a number of moves before settling in Buffalo, New York, where Mary met her future husband, Robert Garrison, in high school.

Mary attended Houghton College for three years before she and Bob eloped and he went into the service. Bob served as a Lieutenant in the Army until the end of WWII. Mary and Bob moved back to the Buffalo area after the war, where they started their family. The family moved from there to Lockport, NY, then Suitland MD, before settling in Sylvania, Ohio, in 1962.

Mary was a stay-at-home mother, and that included supporting Bob in his career while raising five children and also volunteering in the community for over 30 years. Her passion was helping people - especially the elderly - and she served for many years as a volunteer visitor at Lake Park nursing facility in Sylvania. Mary also served as President of the Auxiliary.

Mary’s mother, Ruth Leech, lived with the family after Mary’s father passed in 1962, and Mary eventually became her mother’s primary caregiver until she passed in 1980 at the age of 95.

Mary and Bob were about to celebrate their 57th anniversary when Bob suddenly passed away in June of 1999.

In addition to her volunteer work, Mary had many interests over the years including playing the organ, golfing (up to age 95), gardening, swimming, tennis, and ice skating. She was also an avid reader and was always interested in current events.

Mary also enjoyed traveling with Bob to conventions as well as visiting family all over the country and parts of the UK and Europe. In later years, she took many cruises with her children which included transatlantic, Scandinavian, several Alaskan, and numerous islands in the Caribbean and Central America. She didn’t care where she went as long as it was on a “boat” (as she called them) and the rockier the seas the more fun she had.

Mary is survived by her children, John (Rebecca) Garrison of Toledo, OH; William (Judith) Garrison of Watsonville, CA; Nancy (James) Ike of Twin City, GA; Linda Garrison of Clearwater, FL; Michael (Eileen) Garrison of Orland Park, IL; 12 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sister, Margery Leech (1931); father, Stacy Leech (1962); Mother, Ruth (Eastman) Leech (1980); half-brother, Dr. Harold E. Root of Rochester, NY (2009); and husband, Robert G. Garrison (1999).

Visitation will be held at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave, Toledo, on Saturday, January 18, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., with a funeral service beginning at 12 p.m. Interment will follow at Toledo Memorial Park.