Reverend Vernon McGarvey, 64, of Moberly, died Sunday, September 25, 2011, at his home surrounded by his family. After a diagnosis of terminal colon cancer, he enjoyed two pain-free years with his family and friends, traveling to the Middle East and Europe. He was able to see his first two grandchildren born during this miraculous time.
Vernon Donald McGarvey, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, was born October 15, 1946. He married Glynnda M. Taylor of Beaumont, TX in 1972 and was very proud of his two children, Scott and Jaime, both of Moberly and their spouses, Suzi and Johnathan. He dearly loved his grandchildren, Cooper and Heidi. Pastor McGarvey was preceded in death by his mother, Pearl Mueller McGarvey. He leaves behind his father, Don McGarvey, step-mother, Pat of Maryland Heights, three sisters, Helen and Len Licata of O’Fallon, Janet and Mike Derr of Hartford, CT, Margie and Mark McClintock of St. Charles, two brothers-in-law, Ted Taylor of New York City and Ray Taylor of Houston, Texas, nieces, nephews, and a host of friends.
The pastor of Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Moberly since 1988, he was an ordained minister of the United Pentecostal Church, International (UPCI).
In 1970, Pastor McGarvey graduated from Texas Bible College, Houston, Texas where he received a bachelor degree of Theology. He came to Moberly after serving as the manager of Christian bookstores in Houston, Texas and Hazelwood, Missouri. He has also served congregations in Granby and Coventry, Connecticut. A writer of religious studies, he served on the Curriculum Committee developing teaching materials for the UPCI.
He was the current president of the Randolph County Ministerial Alliance, as well as on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund board and was also the coordinator for the Blanket Project in Randolph County. Vernon had served as district chaplain for Christian Prisoner Fellowship in Missouri and as a board member of the Missouri Correctional Chaplains and Volunteers Association. He served as both secretary and director of the UPCI Missouri District Home Missions Department for 16 years. He ministered in hospitals, local retirement and assisted living facilities throughout the area.
Pastor McGarvey was happiest working in his yard, playing with Cooper & Heidi, ministering from the pulpit or at a kitchen table teaching a Bible study. He enjoyed reading about current events and far-away places. He spent countless hours mentoring young ministers and counseling those in need. He was loved by many and remembered most for his pearls of wisdom and encyclopedic knowledge of the Scripture. Even in his last moments, he was dispensing encouragement and guidance to those visiting him.
