Garita McFarlin

Garita Javette McFarlin
October 1, 1990 – December 16, 2025

Garita Javette McFarlin was born on October 1, 1990, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Bishop Gary McFarlin and Jayetta Carter-McFarlin. She transitioned to her heavenly home on December 16, 2025, surrounded by her father and her three sisters.

Although Garita's 35 years on earth were far too short, she lived a life she intentionally created - a life full of beauty, wonder, awe, imagination, artistry, and self-expression.

From the very beginning, her family knew she was different - wired in a unique and remarkable way. As a young child, Garita had an extraordinary ability to recognize patterns and focus deeply on the things that fascinated her. She could sit for hours assembling complex puzzles, famously completing 300-piece jigsaw puzzles by the age of three. Her mind was sharp, abstract, curious, and precise.

This gift followed her throughout her life. When Garita loved something, she mastered it. Whether it was dinosaurs, Pokémon, music, or travel, she studied every detail with laser focus - memorizing facts, patterns, systems, and possibilities. As a child, she could tell you everything about dinosaurs - their names, characteristics, and histories - not as trivia, but as understanding. Later, this same gift showed up in her love of Pokémon. She knew every Pokémon by name, ability, and strategy, often defeating her much older sisters in games because she had them all memorized and knew exactly what each one could do. It was never about the game itself; it was about how her mind worked - attentive, methodical, deeply curious, and brilliant.

She was also adventurous in spirit - the little sister who was always down for the shenanigans. Garita spent her childhood skating every week with her mom and sisters at Golden Glide or any roller rink they could find, climbing trees, jumping off the top of the treehouse without hesitation, and moving through the world with fearless curiosity.

In her pre-teen years, Garita experienced a significant trauma that altered the course of her life. Many would say it changed her - and it did - but what those closest to her witnessed was something deeper: her resilience. She carried pain quietly, but she carried strength just as powerfully. She completed her education through homeschooling, earned her diploma, and continued finding ways to express herself and create meaning on her own terms.

Her life was marked by creativity, self-authorship, and expression. Garita worked in childcare, pursued modeling, and worked alongside her sister Kendra as an executive assistant. She was also a prolific independent music artist, writing, producing, and releasing multiple albums under her own creative direction. Through her music, she shared her inner world - her imagination, her dreams, her sensitivity, and her sense of wonder.

Music was not just something Garita created - it was something she lived inside of. She would turn the volume up and dance freely, uninterrupted, throwing herself fully into the moment as if she were hosting her own private disco. Those dance parties were worlds she built for herself - spaces where time stopped, joy took over, and she could move without explanation or restraint. Music gave her energy, expression, and life. It was a place where she felt fully alive, fully herself, and completely free.

In addition to her music, Garita was a blogger, fashionista, and creative influencer. Through her online platforms, she curated a world of beauty, style, and joy - sharing daily outfits, recipes, Disney-inspired fashion, and personal reflections. Her artistry and creativity were recognized when she was featured in Voyage ATL Magazine, where she spoke candidly about her life, her resilience, and the people she loved most.

Later, Garita found work that perfectly reflected her heart when she became a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations. Disney was her happy place - a world where magic, imagination, and joy were allowed to exist freely - and she loved helping others experience that same sense of awe and beauty.

Garita expressed love not always through words, but through attention and care. She remembered things. She held onto mementos - like her big sister's cheerleading pom-poms, kept for over twenty years simply because they mattered to someone she loved. She curated thoughtful gifts, always chosen with intention. Even in the final weeks of her life, while she was very ill, Garita made sure her sisters, nieces, and nephews had their Christmas gifts prepared. Loving others was something she did - consistently and deliberately.

She loved her family deeply. Garita was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She experienced the world inwardly and intensely, and while she did not always move through life in conventional ways, she lived authentically and fully in the ways that were true to her.

Garita was preceded in death by her beloved mother, Jayetta Carter-McFarlin.

She is survived by her father, Bishop Gary McFarlin; her sisters, Seleata Bowers, Kendra Lewis, and Melissa Malone; her brothers-in-law, Ryder Bowers (Seleata), Antonio Lewis (Kendra), and Geno Malone (Melissa); her nephews, Victor Mack Jr., Josiah, and Isaiah; and her nieces, Jazelle, Savanna, and London.

She is also survived by her best friend, Ebonee, and her cousin, Michael "Mikey" Fanning, who held a special place in her life.

Garita leaves behind a host of loving aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members, and friends who will cherish her memory always.

Garita lived a life that was entirely her own - and the love she gave, the worlds she created, and the meaning she curated will continue to live on.