GARNETT LEONA TABOR

In Loving Memory of

Garnett Leona Tabor (née Bush)

June 15, 1929 – September 11, 2025

Garnett Leona Tabor, 96, passed away on September 11, 2025. Garnett was born in Louisa, Kentucky, the third of twelve children, to Lowman and Hazel Bush.

Garnett was the devoted mother of seven and a proud grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother. She was preceded in death by her parents, eight siblings, and her children Harry Russell, Larry Lane, and Diana Kay Tabor, and Patricia Jane Fuscoe (the late Fred Fuscoe), as well as her grandson Larry Lane Tabor, Jr. She is survived by her sisters Lois Stevens (Jim Ball), Hazel Marie Moore (Don), and Virginia (Susie) Sims, and her daughters Donna Tabor, Kathy Held (the late David Held), and Hazel Fitzgerald, and forty-seven beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

A strong and independent matriarch, Garnett lived her own home and helped care for others into her eighties. She moved from Kentucky to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1962 for her husband's work. Soon after, she became a single mother, raising seven children on her own with courage and determination. She survived where many would have crumbled.

As a young mother in a new city, she took in laundry and babysat for her neighbors, doing whatever she could to provide for the family. Later, she worked day labor in factories. She found restaurant work at Ohio City Tavern, where she enjoyed meeting local celebrities and famous actors. Eventually, she earned her certification as a home health aide, caring for others until her retirement.

Garnett treasured her family above all; and her house was often the gathering place for impromptu family get togethers. Her walls were filled with framed photographs of her children and grandchildren. She never forgot a birthday, and mailed cards to her far away family members.

Garnett was a proud Kentuckian who loved horse racing; she went down home often to help care for her aging parents or siblings. She kept many traditions of southern hospitality and southern cooking alive in Cleveland by teaching her children and grandchildren how to cook southern food and to be gracious, kind, and generous to all. She passed on her values of hard work, frugality, fairness, and perseverance through her fine example and many memorable sayings.

Garnett appreciated the finer things in life and enjoyed seeing her children and grandchildren dressed up for special occasions. She had a green thumb and had many beloved houseplants and a beautiful garden. She never indulged in luxuries for herself, and selflessly gave away her spare resources to those in need. She was the driving force behind a fundraiser for spaghetti dinners for the homeless in Cleveland, which have been provided through New Hope Church twice weekly dinner for the past ten years, feeding thousands.

Family and friends may call on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at McGorray–Hanna Funeral Home, 25620 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, Ohio. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Richard's Church. Garnett will be laid to rest following the service. The family appreciates the love and support being shown during this time, and kindly welcomes contributions to assist with funeral expenses.