Garnet Ellen Marshall (a GEM)

Garnet Meier Terry Marshall, beloved wife of the late Jack Marshall, passed away peacefully on April 5, 2026. She was a devoted mother to Jeffrey (Patricia), Gregory (Lisa),and Karen (Michael) Mock. Garnet was also a cherished sister to the late Virginia Meyer and Judith Terry. She is survived by her brother Bruce (Cheryl) Terry who resides in North Carolina, her seven grandchildren: Diana, Sydney, Jack, Patrick, Steven, Kathryn, and Elizabeth, as well as her great-grandchildren, Nicholas and Tyler and many other nieces and nephews throughout the United States.

Born on September 23, 1933, in Smithtown, NY, to Beulah and Joseph Meier and later adopted by Millard Terry. Garnet was a trailblazer in her family, being the first to graduate from college. She earned her Teaching degree from SUNY New Paltz in 1955 and dedicated her life to education and community service. Garnet taught elementary grades in Lloyd Harbor and Huntington, where she met and married Jack. After they were married, they moved to Hauppauge, where she stayed home to raise their three children until they were school-aged. She then returned to her passion for teaching and served as a substitute teacher for five different school districts from 1972 to 1982. In 1983, she started as a Library Clerk for the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She then transferred positions and became the International Foreign Student Admissions Advisor, helping students from all over the world to realize their dreams. In 1998, she retired from Stony Brook University with the intention of traveling alongside her cherished husband, Jack. They were able to take one cross-country trip before he passed in 2000.

Garnet was an active community volunteer, contributing to many Long Island organizations, including the Hauppauge PTA, the Suffolk County PTA, the League of Women Voters for both Smithtown and as a County representative, the Farmingville one-room schoolhouse, the Boy Scouts, and the Farmingville Historical Society. She also served as the Historian for her church, a Trustee and Treasurer of the Waverly Cemetery Association, and was involved with the Holtsville Historical Society and Bayport-Bluepoint Alumni Association. In her later years, Garnet enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved working on puzzles and attending church through Zoom at the Congregational UCC of Farmingville, where she had been a faithful member for 79 years.

Garnet's life was a testament to her dedication to education, community service, and family. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations in Garnet’s memory to one of the organizations that were near to her heart:

League of Women Voters of Smithtown

https://donate.lwv.org/page/84107/donate/1

or the Waverly Cemetery Association, Inc. P.O. Box 72, Holtsville, NY 11742. Thank you.