Dec. 14, 1938 — May 2, 2025
Erlene Brack Garver, age 86, passed away peacefully at her home in Central Point, Oregon on May 2, 2025.
Erlene was born Dec. 14, 1938, to Ernest and Edith Brack in San Antonio, Texas. Following high school, she attended Trinity University in San Antonio where she fell in love and was married at the age of nineteen. After having three wonderful children she moved to Chicago and then to Colorado. With Denver as a home base, Erlene spent two very fulfilling years in the Peace Corps in 1983-84 stationed in Tunisia working in gardening and food production. In the early 1990s she met and married her true love, John Tregloan Garver and they soon moved to Medford, Oregon.
Erlene was an elegant, caring woman with a great sense of humor. She was quick to help others and was always volunteering for various things at their church in Ashland. She touched the lives of all she met with her beautiful smile, her kind ways, and her compassionate heart.
Erlene loved to invite family and friends over for countless dinner parties and card/board games. As the ultimate hostess, she welcomed guests into their home with a true interest in people’s lives, feelings and opinions. She and John loved attending Shakespearean and local plays in Ashland and Medford, and she enjoyed gardening, dogs (especially Barklay!), and the warmth of bright sunshine.
Erlene and John’s steadfast love and devotion to each other for over 30 years was an inspiration to their children and grandchildren. Her greatest happiness came from having her family gathered together. She was the joy of their lives, a dedicated wife and mother who taught them about love, kindness, and grace. She was a devoted mother to daughter Melinda Kinkel (Dave), daughter Jennifer Swartz (Tim), and stepdaughter Julia James. She was pre-deceased by her beloved son, Christopher Savage. Her grandchildren include Ryan Kinkel (Megan), Allison Kinkel, Tanner Savage, her step-granddaughter Camara Bell and three great-grandsons, Abel, Finley and Liam Kinkel.
Erlene was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest Martin Brack and Edith Maureen Ridgley, her step-father Charles David Ridgley, her brother Gene Martin Brack, and her son Christopher Shawn Savage.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 44 North 2nd Street, Ashland, Oregon, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church or Special Olympics.
Obituaries may be submitted to Ashland.news via our online article submission form, or via email to [email protected], with a photo or two attached if desired. Please be sure to include dates of birth and death, and reference to connections to Ashland/Talent/Southern Oregon. Please allow a few days for posting. There is no charge. Those wishing to make a donation supporting the Ashland.news service may do so here.
