Georgia Lucille Garside
Born: September 10th, 1923
Died: April 20th, 2018
Obituary
Obituary for Georgia Lucille Garside
Georgia Lucille "Lou" (Sheilds) Garside
9/10/1923 – 4/20/2018
Our Lord has called home our mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, Georgia Lucille Garside. Funeral services will be graveside on April 30th at 11:00 AM at Shafter Cemetery.
Simply put, for 94 years Lou devoted her life to the care of her family and others. Lucille was born in rural Oklahoma and was the second oldest of eight children. As a young bride, she and her husband, JB, moved to California when he joined the Army. By this time, Lou had a son, Jimmy, and they moved several times to stay as close to JB as they could. When Betty was born, Betty got nicknamed "points" because the military system didn't require JB to continue service. Following the service, Lou and JB moved between California and Arizona, where JB managed dairy ranches while Lou did everything else. Their family also grew with the births of Nancy and then Roger. Nancy had the artistic flair and would decorate Lou's house for holidays, and Roger kept Lou both laughing and concerned with his antics.
Throughout Lou's life, she was hardworking and tireless in building her community with strong family ties and friendships. It was nothing for Lou and her sister, Margie, to load up all the children to drive back to Oklahoma for a visit or to set extra plates at the table for visitors. Lou was known for how she kept up the home and her family. Dirt was not her friend, and it was a family joke that you needed to watch your clothes because if you couldn't find your them, Lou was likely washing them, whether they needed it or not.
Lou was always known as kind to others and gracious to anyone who crossed her path. She enjoyed family get-togethers, large or small. She was particularly interested because her traditional upbringing included, "What are we going to fix the guys to eat?" Another family joke (sometimes).
Lou, in how she was raised, loved to the end, and it was common that she would be one of those caretakers who would take care of a loved one in his or her final days. As Lou would often say, "We're never promised tomorrow." And it was true, she had her share of disappointment. Lou lost twins at birth and a daughter in infancy. Then Lou lost her husband in 1984 and a daughter, Nancy, in 2013, as well as others that she loved very much.
Lou is survived by her children, Jimmy and Raydean Garside, Betty and Cy Spears, Roger and Zonda Garside; and a sister and brother-in-law, Marie and Jim Duvall. Lou has 17 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren, many nephews and nieces, cousins, and other special people that have become family along the way.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Myrna at Bethany Joy Garden and Optimal Hospice for their assistance.