Mary Cox Garner

International Lawyer, Philanthropist, Author

Mary Cox Garner, a longtime resident of Georgetown, passed away peacefully March 9, 2024, in Washington, DC.

She had a diverse but integrated career of service as an author, international lawyer, and philanthropist as founder of HOPE, INC.

Mary Garner was the author of two books The Hidden Souls of Words: Keys to Transformation Through the Power of Words and Calling All Angels; A Taxi to a new Eden

Mary Garner was born in Memphis, Tennessee, daughter of the late Allen Cox, Jr. and Hortense Beare Cox.

She came to Washington in 1973 with her late husband, The Rev. Sanford Garner, rector of Christ Episcopal Church Georgetown, D.C..

Dr. Garner, OBE was later appointed as the Interim Provost of Washington National Cathedral, a post he held until retirement. in 1991. A fond memory was when they hosted the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip during their official visit to the Cathedral in May 1991.

Mary Garner pursued many avenues of study, holding degrees in religion and theology, clinical psychology, and international law.

Diverse interests and the overarching desire to be of service led her to teaching, human rights advocacy, counseling, disarmament negotiating and global efforts of interfaith cooperation and peace-building.

Mary Garner graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, George Mason and George Washington University Schools of Law.

She held positions in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, where she worked on nuclear arms control and disarmament negotiations on START II in Geneva, Switzerland. She was a member of the District of Columbia Bar and of the American Society of International Law.

In 1985, her international humanitarian concerns led Mary to found HOPE, INC., a private charitable foundation that has supported relief and other efforts on behalf of children. She served on the boards of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution and of the Institute for Mental Health Initiatives.

She was a volunteer and founding member of the Center for Prayer at the Washington National Cathedral and ardent supporter of the Cathedral College.

She welcomed all occasions to speak about the deeper spiritual meaning of what she called the ‘souls’ of words. Through her books she brought awareness to many and awakened the powerful creativity that is within each of us, or what Deepak Chopra calls “the hidden potential within us.” Chopra wrote, “The Hidden Souls of Words opens the window to the soul”.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed the, Hidden Souls of Words, as follows, “It provides us with a precious key to a treasure we have often overlooked.” Mary Garner espoused and conveyed that the contributions of every person’s life are equally important, sacred and essential.

Mary Garner and her husband, Sanford, were co-founders of the United Religions Initiative Interfaith Cooperation Circle of Washington and supported many philanthropic and human rights organizations.

She did not like Obits because, as she explained, “every person is so much more than what can be described in words that categorize.” Mrs. Garner also loved and wrote poetry.

Mary was preceded in death by two sons, Sanford Garner III and James Allen Garner.

Survivors include a brother, Allen Cox III of Memphis, Tennessee; her son Robert Reiney Garner, her daughter in law Shannon H Garner and two grandchildren. John Garner Casamento and Leila Zhouyu Garner,