WESTFIELD – Robert J. Garvey (Yogi) passed away peacefully on July 31st, 2023 at the age of 93 at the Holyoke Soldiers Home after a long and courageous battle with 
Lewy Body Dementia. Robert was born on March 14th, 1930 in Springfield MA. He grew up in the North End of Springfield and attended Cathedral High School before joining the United States Marine Corp in 1951. He served in the first marine division out of Oceanside, CA and was a Korean War veteran. He married his wife Anna (Fitzgerald) in 1961 and resided in Westfield for 52 years. He was employed by Strathmore Paper Company for 32 years before retiring in 1992. He was a talented athlete with a passion for baseball, basketball and golf. He played professional fast pitch softball for Ma Mannings and Front Page Cigar and was as a member of the Blandford Country Club for over 30 years. He was an avid Yankees fan (although he never missed a Red Sox game). He enjoyed watching his children play sports and on game days would be sure to go to work early so he could attend all their games (you could always find him on the right field line). He was an American history buff and loved a good joke.
He was predeceased by his wife Anna, his parents George and Marion (Hart) Garvey, his sister Mary (Garvey) Neal, and his brothers George, William, James, and Donald.
He leaves behind his three children to cherish his memory: Katie Strong and her husband Robert of Westfield, Patrick Garvey and his wife Gail of Westfield, and Timothy Garvey and his wife Nadia of Feeding Hills, his five grandchildren whom he loved and adored, Brendan and Olivia Strong of El Paso Texas, Ryan Garvey of Westfield and Aidan and Milanna Garvey of Feeding Hills, and one great-granddaughter Julia Strong of El Paso Texas. He also leaves behind his brothers-in-law Edward Fitzgerald and Paul Meagher. He leaves behind several nieces and nephews including his nephew the honorable Congressman Richard Neal.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Holyoke Soldiers Home for their love, care, and compassion for nearly a decade. They became a second family to all of us.
Calling hours will be Monday, August 7th from 4 until 7 at Firtion Adams Funeral Home, 76 Broad Street, in Westfield. The funeral will be held Tuesday, August 8th at 8:30 a.m. from Firtion Adams followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. from Sacred Heart Church in Springfield MA . Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Westfield. Memorial contributions in Robert’s name can be made to the Holyoke Soldiers Home, 110 Cherry Street, Holyoke, MA 01040 or the Fisher House, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 410, Rockville, MD 20852. Firtionadams.com
