Margaret Mary (Quigley) Garvey

Margaret “Tanta” Quigley Garvey died Wednesday, August 16, at Holy Cross Village, Notre Dame, from heart failure. In her final days, Margaret was, true to form, surrounded by doting caregivers, family and friends who had learned from her the art of caregiving. Sitting vigil at her bedside most devotedly were her adoring children, Michael Francis, Joseph Benedict, Shannon Mary (Veit), and Monica Therese Garvey, all of South Bend.  She is preceded in death by her husband, Michael Owen Garvey, who died on February 13, 2022, and her sister, Karen Baker, who died on May 23 of this year. She will be missed by many, including her grandchildren Patrick James, Cecilia Jane, Hugh Michael, and her many godchildren.

She was born on December 13, 1951, to John and Suzanne Quigley of Chicago. She attended the Marywood School for Girls in Evanston, Illinois, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University in 1973.

A devotee of Dorothy Day, Margaret founded in 1973 a Catholic Worker in house in Davenport, Iowa, where she fed, clothed, and provided shelter to those in need. Countless guests there encountered her grit and goodness.  In 1975, she met the inimitable Michael Garvey, with whom she would build a marriage and family rooted in their mutual call to love and hospitality.  Their home became a gathering place for all manner of friends and colleagues, marked by the Rule of Saint Benedict: Let all guests be received as Christ.

Margaret and Michael moved to South Bend in 1979, where, in addition to raising their children, she worked in campus ministry at the University of Notre Dame. In 1986, she began serving those with intellectual disabilities through Logan Center and Protective Services of Saint Joseph County. A compassionate advocate for hundreds, Margaret walked hand in hand with those without voice, equal rights, or companionship.  She retired from this work in 2006, but her outreach and advocacy continued and will continue through her mighty spirit.

Margaret adored the Garvey family, Irish literature, white wine on the rocks, and hosting legendary celebrations in her family home. She loved no place on earth as she did West Ireland, Kinard in particular. She held the world’s record for the most viewings of The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, A Thousand Clowns, and Silence of the Lambs.  She only wore pants on three occasions.

A wake will be held on Friday, August 18 at McGann Hay, University Chapel, 2313 East Edison Road, South Bend, Indiana from 4-7 pm.

The funeral will be held Saturday, August 19 at 11:00 am at Saint Joseph Church, 226 North Hill Street.

Donations in Margaret’s memory can be made in payment to Our Lady of the Road, PO Box 4375 South Bend, 46634 or by visiting https://www.olrsb.org/donate