Elizabeth "Pinkie" Garriga
Elizabeth Garriga, of Montrose, passed away January 30, 2012. She was born Zada Elizabeth Finklea on June 26, 1924 to Frank and Cecile (Pinckney) Finklea in Savannah, Georgia.
Elizabeth lived with her parents for only a short time. Her mother died when she was quite young, so she went to live with her mother’s brother and his wife, Benjamin Godfrey Pinckney, Jr. and Blanche (Martin) Pinckney, in Goldsboro, NC. Elizabeth considered Aunt Blanche and Uncle ‘Bud’ as her new mom and dad, and she changed her last name to Pinckney at this time, and assumed the nickname ‘Pinkie.’ She was always proud that two of her ancestors, Charles Pinckney, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, were both signers of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.
Her aunt and uncle owned and operated Nash Printing Company in Goldsboro, and Elizabeth worked for them from time to time. The family dog was appropriately named ‘Printer.’
After graduating from Goldsboro High School in 1943, she took on jobs working at Wells Department Store, at a local five-and-dime, and then as a clerk typist with the Department of the Army at Seymore-Johnson Air Force Base.
She met her husband to be, Joseph William Garriga at the base USO club. After Joe’s tour of duty in England, they were married on August 21, 1947, and she became Elizabeth P. Garriga. They then moved to Inglewood, then Torrance, California, where Joe got a job working in the aerospace industry.
Elizabeth and Joe had two children, Cecilia Blanche and Joseph William Jr. They raised their family in Torrance, California. Elizabeth obtained a certificate of cosmetology from a local beauticians college. Since her husband was an aeronautical engineer and draftsman, she wanted to learn more about his work, so she also got a degree in computer assisted drafting (CAD) from El Camino College.
In 1998 Elizabeth and Joe moved to Montrose, Colorado, to enjoy retirement near the company of their daughter and son-in-law, Blanche and Dave Roberts. Elizabeth taught herself to crochet when she was only 6 years old, and used those skills to make all kinds of items which she donated to Hospice and Montrose Memorial Hospital.
As per her desire, her body has been cremated. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Blanche and Dave Roberts, of Montrose. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph W. Garriga, Sr., and by her son, Joseph W. Garriga, Jr. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Elizabeth’s name to Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, P.O. Box 1804, Montrose, CO, 81402. Arrangements are under the direction of Crippin Funeral Home & Crematory, Montrose, CO.
