Elizabeth Anne Garrison

On July 9, 1929 the second child of Luis and Anne Granados was born in Riverdale, Maryland. They named her Elizabeth Anne after her aunt, but she was nicknamed "Anita" by her Spanish father.

Anita attended Holy Redeemer School in Berwyn Heights and St. Cecelia's High School in Washington, DC. In 1947 she married Preston Garrison, a Navy veteran and fire-fighter for the District of Columbia. They settled in Greenbelt and had three children - Richard Preston, Kathleen Marie and Michael Joseph. Sadly, in 1955 Preston was killed in the line of duty, leaving Anita a young widow. Shortly after his death, she moved her family back to Riverdale to a newly constructed home. It was in this home she spent most of her life, raised her children as a single parent, and remained for more than forty years.

Anita worked full time as a bookkeeper for Potomac Iron Works and Art Display Company in Washington, DC. She was a talented musician, active in the choir at St. Bernard's church in Riverdale, serving both as an organist and vocalist. Once she retired, she took great pleasure in traveling and spending time with her grandchildren.

She is remembered by her great sense of humor. She loved to laugh, sing, and tell stories, especially funny stories about people she knew. She was also a generous giver of gifts, never forgetting to mark each birthday or Christmas with something special she chose for her loved ones.

In 1998, after suffering injuries from a fall, Anita moved out of her split level home Riverdale to a one level condominium in Columbia, Maryland. By 2002 her health was deteriorating, and she relocated to Holy Cross Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Burtonsville, Maryland.

On Monday, April 14, 2008, after a long illness, Anita died at Holy Cross. She will be missed by many, especially her five children, John Kernan (Dianne) of San Diego, CA, Richard Garrison (Debra) of Phoenix, AZ, Kathleen Buckley (Mark) of Columbia, MD, Michael Garrison (Juanita) of Dagsboro, DE, and Mindie Burgoyne (Dan) of Marion Station, MD.

Additionally, Anita leaves behind fourteen grandchildren - Amy, Preston, Rachel, Sarah, Meghan, Tara, Kelly, Spencer, Bonnie, Ginger, Fletcher, Dominic, Daniel and Lara - and twelve great-grandchildren - Preston, Isabella, Richard, Alexander, Tate, Annabelle, Trent, Mia, Ava, Daniel, Grace, and Mia.

Anita was predeceased by her husband, Preston, her parents, Luis Granados and Anne Waters Granados, and most recently by her brother Robert "Bob" Granados, of Huntingtown, Maryland who passed away December 22, 2007.

Many lives have been touched and changed by Anita. She is part of a large family with over 500 living relatives, and has made many friends at her workplaces, at church, and in the communities where she lived. She is remembered as loving mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, who faced difficult obstacles in her life but managed to provide for her family, instill good values in her children, and still find time to laugh and have fun.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Anita

Anita

I’m blessed to have known Granny throughout my lifetime. I’ll always remember her in the context of our huge Granados family. I remember seeing her at every Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and family reunion of my childhood. She was there when I received my childhood sacraments in the Church. She remembered every birthday with a card, usually including a silly joke.

She loved to learn. I remember how she won every game of Trivial Pursuit she played at family gatherings. I remember my other grandmother calling her every Sunday to get the answers to the crossword puzzle in the Saturday Post. Granny always knew the answers.

I remember her love of music. Her passion for music was obvious on entering her home. Who else would keep a piano in her living room, piles of sheet music on her shelves, fiddles on the walls, and an organ in her basement? As a teenager, I learned to play the piano in part to honor our family tradition of female musicians.

Granny seemed to know so much about our country. She told me about her travels to all 50 states. She brought things back from her trips. I remember she had a pair of earrings that were made of tiny tubes filled with layers of colored sand from the Painted Dessert. How amazing it was to think of her driving around Riverdale with part of a national treasure hanging from her earlobes! Once, she told me there were no trees in Texas. Even though I knew that was her idea of a joke, I was determined to prove her wrong. I remember driving all the way through Texas after graduating from college, just so I could call Granny to tell her I found more than one tree there. She just laughed. I’ve only been to 33 states now, but someday I hope to catch up to her.

I remember her loud laugh and her sense of humor. Granny knew how to make me laugh even when the situation was serious. Her sense of humor remained strong even during the last six years of her life. I remember visiting her at Holy Cross. She had the best room in the place as she was surrounded by walls covered with framed photographs of her children, grandchildren, and great grand children. Her regular Nursing Aids knew her well and called her ‘Anita’. Some of them were originally from Africa, and Granny loved to hear stories about their homeland. One of her favorite aids, Malik, jokingly told her he was an African Prince. She thought that was hilarious and often referred to him as ‘the Prince’ in her sarcastic voice. Throughout her life, she used humor to connect with people, to entertain, and to deal with life’s hardships.

In her own way, Granny helped make me the person I am today. She taught me to love to learn. She taught me to love music. She taught me about the beauty of this country. And she taught me the value of laughter.

Meghan Buckley Kostkowski
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