Marietta White Garlich

1/31/41 – 3/17/09

Her smile lit up the room. We lost Marietta and that unforgettable

smile on March 17, 2009.

Marietta was born in Detroit, MI on January 31, 1941, the

daughter of Lee Ethel and Ivory White. Her parents and her

brother Bob White of Detroit and sister Shirley Sampson of

Los Angeles precede her in death.

Upon finishing high school she moved to Los Angeles under

the wing of her sister Shirley. She worked at a variety of jobs,

sometimes as many as three at a time. Eventually she went to

work at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica CA and later in

Huntington Beach. She retired as an executive secretary in

1991 after decades of service, interrupted by an eight-year stint

as office manager for Nichols Research in Newport Beach.

Marietta loved music. She played the cello in her youth and was

a vocalist with a local combo in Huntington Beach. As a young

woman she dreamed of being a professional singer. She could

have been, she had the “pipes”! Her love of music and its value

in enhancing the lives of children led her to join the Philharmonic

Society of Orange County where she was a member of

the Upper Bay Committee and, as a member of the PSOC Executive

Committee, served as vice president of Youth Concerts

and later as vice president of Membership. Marietta was also a

member of the board of the Assistance League of Santa Ana.

People who met Marietta liked her on contact. They soon

became her friend and her friends soon came to love her. She

was all about giving and asked little or nothing for herself. She

was a sought after counselor to family and friends, sharing her

strongly held philosophy on women’s issues, personal responsibility,

respect, and love of others. It was a gift. She was both

fiercely independent and forever loyal.

She is survived by her husband of nearly 34 years, Bruce, of

Costa Mesa CA, her step son Gregory Garlich of Huntington

Beach, CA, sisters Edna Morgan and Carolyn Rolland of

Augusta GA, nieces Carla Lett of Vallejo CA and Dawn Lett of

Los Angeles, CA and nephews Kevin White and Gary Bowles

of Los Angeles and Kenneth Dotson of Augusta, GA along

with a host of grand nieces and grand nephews.

Services will be held at Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500

Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 on Saturday,

March 21 beginning promptly at Noon.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hoag Hospital

Cancer Center, Newport Beach, CA.