Mary Belle Garber, 93

May 22, 2016

Mary Belle Garber, 93, of Brethren Village, Lancaster, passed away on Sunday, May 22, 2016. Born in Mount Joy, she was the daughter of the late Melvin and Mary Potter. Mary Belle was the wife of the late Thomas M. Garber, to whom she had been married 69 years. After her graduation from Millersville State Teachers College, she taught two years in Lancaster and twenty-seven years in Elizabethtown public schools, as a 2nd grade teacher.
In Elizabethtown, Mary Belle was a member of the Elizabeth Hughes Society, Christ Church, and the United Church of Christ, where she served on the Consistory and sang in the choir. She also served as Secretary for the Elizabethtown Area Teachers Association. Mary Belle was an avid knitter and seamstress, making most of her wardrobe.
In 1984, she and her husband, Thomas, retired to Sugarmill Woods in Homosassa, FL, where she served two terms on the Sugarmill Woods Civic Association and was President of the Tennis Association. Other affiliations include Secretary of the SMW Women’s 18 Hole Golf Association, member of Women of Sugarmill Woods, member and Executive Director of Sugarmill Woods Chorale, and member of First Presbyterian Church, Crystal River, FL, where she also served as Elder on the Church Session. She also enjoyed Bridge, reading and gardening. They enjoyed 26 years in Florida before returning to Lititz to enjoy their family.
Mary Belle is survived by her son, Scott T. Garber, husband of Margaret, of Landisville; granddaughters, Deborah Moore of Monkton, MD and Karla Mulrine of Columbia, PA; and four great-grandchildren: Kennedy and Logan Moore, and Kylie and Alexis Mulrine. In addition to her parents and husband, Mary Belle was preceded in death by her sister, Jeannette L. Yost, of Arizona.
Graveside Services for Mary Belle will be held at 11 AM, on Saturday, June 11, 2016, at Mt. Tunnel Cemetery, Elizabethtown. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mary Belle’s name may be made to the Brethren Village Benevolence Fund, 3001 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA 17606.