Gary Moskowitz
Longtime Glendale resident and former school board member Elaine
Beers Garrett died early Tuesday of natural causes at her Glendale
home, one day after her 93rd birthday.
Between 1955 and 1967, Garrett served three terms on the Glendale
Unified School District board of directors, including two one-year
terms as president. In 1968, Garrett traveled to Russia to speak
about schools and hospitals at the request of Glendale city
officials, family members said.
Wayland Parsons, a former deputy superintendent for the school
district, said Garrett was a pleasure to work with because she always
kept her composure.
"She was a very fine member of the board," Parsons said. "She was
such a conscientious person and was great to work with. She was very
calm and did not get excited when we had problems."
Garrett was a charter member and treasurer of the Women's
Committee of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra and a president of the
Glendale Medical Auxiliary. She was hired in 1962 as director of
volunteer services for Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Care,
and later became director of public relations and community services
for the hospital, family members said.
Garrett was also president of the Women's Athletic Club, and
received a News-Press trophy for her participation in the club. She
was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and filled numerous positions within the church.
Garrett was born Elaine Cannon on Jan. 5, 1911, in Kaysville, Utah, and had lived in Glendale since 1939. She married Reid Beers in
1934. Beers died in 1962, and in 1975 she married J. Earl Garrett.
He died in 1995.
Judith Ritchie, Garrett's daughter, described her mother as an
avid reader and golfer who felt strongly that people should be
involved in community service.
"She was a very compassionate person. My father was a doctor, and
both of them were extremely compassionate people," Ritchie said. "One
of my feelings is that I couldn't have had a better example for a
mother in everything she did."
Garrett is survived by her sons, Reid Beers Jr., J. Earl Garrett
Jr. and Eugene Garrett; daughters, Judith Ritchie and Patricia
Hedrick; 27 grandchildren; 73 great-grandchildren; and 11
great-great-grandchildren, family members said.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1101 N. Central Ave. A viewing will be
prior to the funeral service at 10 a.m. The viewing and funeral
service are open to the public.
