Rita A. Garvey

Rita Anna Garvey was born on April 26, 1934 in Meseritz, a Prussian town east of Berlin in northern Germany, to the surprise of her parents Leo and Hedwig Kubitzki, who had two much older daughters, Gerda (Fössen) and Gretchen (Schaub).

Leo was a train conductor, and Rita was welcomed into the town’s tight-knit railroad community, living a comfortable life that was insulated from the turmoil brewing in Europe after the Weimar Republic’s fall in 1933.

In 1945, the second great war caught up with Rita and her family, and after a time fraught with much loss and upheaval, she and her family found refuge in Husum, an idyllic port town on the North Sea. When Rita turned 21, she bravely traveled on the SS America across the Atlantic Ocean against the protestations of her mother to help her sister Gretchen and Gretchen’s husband Ray, an American GI, raise their daughters at the Chanute Air Force base in Rantoul, Illinois. During those first few months, she learned English watching soap operas while pondering the humidity and corn fields of the Midwest. She developed deep roots in the US, eventually moving to Columbus and working at Lazarus department store.

After settling in central Ohio, she met her future husband, James (Jim) H. Garvey through a blind date at the iconic Ricardo’s Restaurant at Oakland Park and High Street and took great pride in having a bigger bank account than his. After a brief engagement, they married in January 1960, and daughter Kathy arrived in April 1961. In 1965, the little family achieved the American dream by settling in their very own, brand-new house in Gahanna. During a sweltering July in 1968, Rita had a son, Jimmy. To adapt to the suburban sprawl, Rita reluctantly learned to drive to be able to shop and shuttle her kids. Rita lived a peaceful life surrounded by many friends and family in Ohio, although she missed her loved ones scattered around the US and Germany.

She was an avid reader of novels, being a regular patron of the Gahanna Library. She had an abiding love and deep knowledge of English history, following the lives of the royals with much interest. She adored British television and classic Hollywood movies, going into mourning when Grace Kelly died. During her many trips to Las Vegas, she displayed an uncanny ability to coax coins out of slot machines. In her later years, she and her husband Jim were able to travel more, visit family abroad, and rekindle cherished friendships, especially with her best friend Marcella, a fellow German expat who also cultivated a fulfilling life in the US. Foremost, Rita loved her children and grandchildren, Ian and Adelaide, with the ferocity of a lioness and would not hesitate to sacrifice everything for them.

As someone who lost so much so early in life, Rita taught us that the only thing enduring in the world was love of family and friends, treasured stories, and gratitude to the country that so generously adopted her. The rest was just a happy distraction.

Rita is preceded in passing by her husband James, parents Leo and Hedwig, and sisters Gerda and Gretchen. Left to cherish her memory is her daughter Kathy, son James (Stephanie), and grandchildren Ian and Adelaide.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 10am-12pm at St Luke Lutheran Church, 4456 Morse Road, Columbus, OH 43230. Rita's memorial service will be directly following the visitation on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 12:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Rita's memory to St. Luke Lutheran Church.