1st Lieut. James A. Garvey
A Ridgefield resident throughout his childhood, high school and college years, James A. Garvey was killed Nov. 23 when struck by a car in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 24. He is the son of William Garvey and Tamara Eberlein of Florida Hill Road.
At the time of his death, James was a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He had recently returned from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan where he served as an AH-64 Apache helicopter pilot in combat, flew as a maintenance test pilot, and headed a helicopter maintenance platoon. He was based at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, and lived in Nashville.
James was a 2012 honors graduate of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, which he attended on an Army ROTC scholarship. His high marks as a ROTC cadet won him a coveted position as a pilot candidate; he earned his wings at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, in 2013.
A proud graduate of the Ridgefield public school system, James formed lifelong friendships with fellow students, especially “The Block,” a group of wonderful kids on nearby Ridgewood Road.
In addition to his parents, James is survived by his brother Michael and sister-in-law Julie, twin sister Samantha, and brother John; his maternal grandparents, Jean and Robert Nicholls of Cleveland, Ohio; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins from both the Garvey and Eberlein families.
Calling hours will be held at Kane Funeral Home, 25 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut, on Monday, December 1, from 4 pm to 8 pm. Funeral Services will be held at Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church, 207 Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut, on Tuesday, December 2, at 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the 1LT James Garvey Foundation, c/o Kane Funeral Home, PO Box 459, Ridgefield CT 06877. Proceeds will be used to help fund the University of Connecticut U.S. Army ROTC scholarship program.