Elsie Marie Garland

Elsie Marie Garland -- Wow -- What an incredible woman! Elsie was born to loving parents, Johnson Voyd Whitehurst and Thelma Athelene (Harris) Whitehurst, on February 2, 1932, in a very rural farming town, Bethel, North Carolina (NC). She was the second of five children born of Voyd and Athelene. After graduating from Bethel High School, she lived with extended family and worked in Washington DC.. She later went on to attend Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, NC, where she met a young man (Herb Garland) and fell in love. They married January 29, 1956. She tenderly cared for their two sons (Gary and Bruce), while Herb continued his education at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. In 1960, Herb, Elsie, and their growing family moved to Northern Virginia. Welcoming three more children (Joyce, Wayne, and Carl), they moved to the suburbs (Fairfax, Virginia) to rear their family. Elsie was a loving mother who tenderly cared for her family. She was the epitome of 1 Corinthians 13 - "Love is patient and kind." Her children are so very thankful and appreciative she reared them to love God with all of their hearts. While Elsie was an incredible wife and caregiver to her children, she also found time to care for others. Having a heartfelt passion for compassion, she became involved in prison ministry. She strongly believed in showing the true nature of Jesus by sharing the Gospel of Christ. She brought her simple, humble, and loving nature to care for other women who were in need of Jesus' love. She truly sought to live out Isiah 61:1-2 - "The spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners." She is survived by her devoted Husband of 60 years (Herb), her Children (Gary, Bruce, Joyce, Wayne, Carl), Grandchildren (David, Blair, Bob, Jessie, Jon, Christen, Kat, Hope), Brothers (Bob, Ben), Sisters-In-Law (Claire, Sheila, Michael, Evelyn, Iris), Daughters-In-Law (Nancy, Jenese), Son-In-Law (Frank), very close family friend and wonderful care-giver (Julie), extended family, and many, many friends who loved her dearly. The Garland Family would like to thank everyone for their loving support and tender care of Elsie over these last few years of her life. Thank you, too, for the enduring and deep friendships that have lasted decades and brought such joy to Elsie. Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts during this time. We have faith that she is free of pain and singing in God's presence with joy. John 11:25-26 -- "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" ~