Emily C. Garrison

Emily C. Garrison was born in Weldon, North Carolina on January 29, 1943 to the late Harriet Hawkins Rice and George Lee Hawkins. The Hawkins family relocated to Manville, NJ in 1945 and Emily attended schools in Piscataway and New Brunswick, NJ. After graduating from New Brunswick High School and starting her family Emily would take continuing education courses at Rutgers University and other colleges and institutions throughout central New Jersey. These studies laid the foundation for what would become a long and productive career as a counselor, first with the Family Service Association of Middlesex County and later at the University of Medicine and Dentistry Behavioral Health Care’s Children at Risk Resources and Intervention (CARRI) Program where she would retire from in 2010 after 25 years of employment. The CARRI Program’s primary goal was “Helping parents become better parents” and Emily worked tirelessly advising her clients many of whom were teenagers and/or young adults. As a single mother she personally identified with the many challenges they encountered and her passionate empathy led to her becoming not only an exceptional resource but also a mother-like figure to many. Over time she realized and wholeheartedly embraced that her position was more than a job --- it was a ministry aimed at properly preparing and training future generations. In recognition of her steadfast commitment to those in her care, Emily was named Citizen of the Year by the New Jersey Council of Black Social Workers in 1989. While working with CARRI she would also take on a part-time cleaning job with Temco Service Industries. This job extended her normal workday to twelve hours per day, five days a week for over 12 years. This untiring work ethic permeated the home she provided for her four sons setting an example for them to follow in the years to come. She especially enjoyed traveling, playing cards, all family gatherings and the many activities associated with the Senior Ministry of FBCLG. She was well known as a sharp dresser who maintained a feisty and youthful spirit. Her elegance, grace and outward beauty were surpassed only by an inner fortitude, determination and quiet confidence that transcended her physical stature. She was the pillar of strength and the confidante entrusted by family and friends alike to handle their affairs when emergencies arose. It was Emily who held the spare key, banking account numbers, insurance policy information, and other pertinent facts to ensure that all matters we properly addressed. She will be truly missed by many. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her sister, Gwendolyn Jackson and brothers, James and Curtis Hawkins. She leaves to cherish her memory four sons, Maurice Hawkins (New Brunswick, NJ), Dennis Garrison II (Trenton, NJ), Darrin Garrison (Jackie) (Somerset, NJ), and Darnell Garrison (Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL); three brothers, George Hawkins (Janice) (Piscataway, NJ), Charles Hawkins (Evelyn) (Somerset, NJ), and Gregory Hawkins (Felicia) (New Brunswick, NJ), seventeen grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, three god children and a host of cousins, nephews, nieces and several very special friends.

Emily C. Garrison

January 29, 1943 - August 11, 2022