Judy Garner

Judy Beth Garner, beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother, friend and devoted servant of the Lord Jesus, was born in Nacogdoches, Texas on December 9, 1939, to parents Julia Fleming Pou and William Thomas Pou. She passed away peacefully at her home at Lake Kiowa, Texas on September 13, 2026. Judy grew up in Dallas, Texas and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. While at Woodrow she made many lifelong friends and was a member of the original Woodrow Wilson Wildcats drill team. Judy attended SMU in Dallas and earned a business degree as one of the few women in the Business School.

Judy met her husband, Gil Garner, in 1960, when he came to Dallas as the Quarterback for the Duke University football team to play in the 25th Cotton Bowl Classic vs Arkansas (Jan 2, 1961). In a very unusual turn of events, she was part of the greeting committee from SMU at the airport, was assigned his name to greet and present him with a 10-gallon cowboy hat. They stayed in contact, began dating soon thereafter and the rest is history. They were married in 1962 after her graduation from SMU, and lived in Durham, North Carolina during Gil’s senior year at Duke. After moving back to Dallas, Judy and Gil raised two fine upstanding sons, Greg and Garrett. From the family home in North Dallas, Judy was always busy with Bible studies, Book Clubs, Garden Clubs, the boys’ soccer clubs, and various community organizations like the Dallas Symphony League and the Dallas Arboretum Women’s Council. She was also a proud member of the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution – DAR. She loved shopping for her family, especially her seven grandchildren, whom she proudly referred to as “The Magnificent Seven.” She went out of her way, and even had a direct contact at Nordstrom, to make sure that every family member got exactly what they wanted for Christmas and birthdays. With great attention to detail and planning, she made sure every family event and gathering was over-the-top, and established the Garner family annual tradition of July 4th at Lake Kiowa, as a do-not-miss event, with lots of red, white, blue, great food, and matching t-shirts.

Judy was a strong believer in her savior, Jesus Christ. She was always praying for her family, and would often quote many Bible verses in conversations with friends and family.

Judy is survived by her husband of 64 years, Gil Garner, her sister Anita Kay Gregg (Dennis), sons Greg Garner (Ann Marie) and Garrett Garner (Leslie), grandchildren Brighton Payne (Landon), Bryan Garner, Cailey Garner, Alyssa Garner, Olivia Martinez (Joshua), John-Paul Garner, and Reese Garner, and a great-grandson (Payne) in utero, due February 2027.

A Celebration of Life service for Judy will be held Sunday, October 18th at 2:00 pm at the Lake Kiowa Lodge (905 Kiowa Dr. W, Lake Kiowa, TX 76240). All family and friends are welcome!  If you choose to order an arrangement, please request that the florist deliver directly to the service.