Phyllis Margaret Garfield

Phyllis Margaret Garfield of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away peacefully on September 2, 2026. She was 88 years old. 

Phyllis was born on May 25, 1938, in Newport, Rhode Island, to Manuel and Mary (Sousa) Ponte. She married Ensign Peter J. Garfield, USN, on January 26, 1961. 

Phyllis grew up on the Ponte family farm atop Johnny Cake Hill in Middletown, Rhode Island. From an early age, she developed a deep love of family and a strong work ethic, qualities that remained with her throughout her life. The mischievous youngest sister, she delighted friends and family with stories of her horse, Roamer; learning to drive a tractor at age eight; ice skating on Green End Pond; supporting the Newport Jazz Festival while working at a local radio station; and watching her father and brothers mentor Portuguese farm workers whom the family sponsored on their journeys to American citizenship. 

An exceptionally bright and accomplished student, Phyllis attended Rogers High School, Salve Regina College, Old Dominion University, and the College of William & Mary before embarking on her greatest adventures as a Navy wife and mother to two energetic sons. 

Travel was a lifelong passion. While living in England for more than six years during her husband’s Navy assignments, she developed a lasting love for British culture and proudly became an Anglophile. Earning a British driver’s license, no small accomplishment, she chauffeured her family throughout England in her beloved Mercedes. In 1986, she became the first woman to graduate from the internationally renowned Ivor Spencer International School for Butler Administrators in Dulwich, London. 

Phyllis took advantage of nearly every weekend and holiday to travel, often with her sons. Her adventures carried her throughout the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Greece, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, and even Tunisia, even riding a camel and breaking bread with the Bedouins. She rarely missed a performance in London’s West End. Her enthusiasm for travel and discovery lives on through her children and grandchildren. 

Phyllis was an avid reader, devouring every Agatha Christie mystery ever written, many of them several times over, along with countless other “juicy” suspense novels and mysteries. She was a devoted patron of the Neptune Beach Public Library, often leaving with six or seven books in her monogrammed tote bag. Many of those books were enjoyed at the beach, one of her favorite places to read, walk, and savor the sun and salt air. 

Another of Phyllis’s great passions was cooking. She never met a cookbook she did not like and happily donned her chef’s jacket to tackle new recipes and cuisines. Her veal parmesan, roasts, lasagnas, tacos, apple pies, exotic cakes, trifle and countless other dishes will be fondly remembered. No one ever left her home hungry. Whether feeding family, friends, fraternity brothers, wayward Marines or unexpected guests, she served every meal with love, generosity, and a warm smile. 

Phyllis enjoyed working and was blessed with the ability to excel in a wide variety of roles, including schoolteacher, financial analyst, executive assistant, senior paralegal, and contract specialist. She spent the latter part of her career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of Counsel, from which she retired with distinction in the early 2000s. She also generously volunteered with several organizations, including serving as a Red Cross Gray Lady, providing comfort and support to sick and wounded service members and civilians. 

A devout Catholic, Phyllis was a parishioner of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, where she regularly served as a lector and prayer leader. She was also deeply devoted to San Jose Catholic Church and School, attended by her grandchildren William and Kelsey. Known lovingly as “G-ma,” she never missed a Grandparents Day celebration and was always ready to drive across town and join the school pickup line whenever needed. 

Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, Peter Jack Garfield (USN Ret.); her parents, Mary and Manuel Ponte; her brothers, Joseph Ponte and Anthony Ponte; and her sister, Mary Ponte Pinning. 

She is survived by her sons, Peter Joseph Garfield (Victoria) and Michael Anthony Garfield (Shannon); her grandchildren, Peter Major Garfield, Aimee Elizabeth Garfield, William Lane Garfield, and Kelsey Anne Garfield; and many extended family members and friends who were blessed by her love, generosity, and unwavering spirit. 

Phyllis truly lived by her self-proclaimed motto: “Where there is a will, there is a way.” She inspired everyone around her with her determination, optimism, and strength. Her vibrant spirit, loving heart, and enduring example will be deeply missed and forever remembered. 

Please contact the family for details on the service they will be holding in honor of Ms. Phyllis Garfield.