Caryll Vicki Garfield

Caryll Vicki Garfield, 80, passed away on Monday, December 22, 2025, surrounded by her family. Caryll was born on April 24, 1945, in London, England, to the late Isaac and Lee Hart. Her middle name was a celebration of the victory over the Nazis because she was born the night the blackout was lifted at the end of World War II. Caryll graduated from Pittman’s Secretarial College and worked as a secretary in London, England where she met her husband, Leigh Garfield. After a brief engagement, they were married on December 26, 1966, and remained married until his death in 2002. In 1979, they moved from London to Houston, and Caryll became a naturalized US citizen in 1988. Caryll loved her grandchildren more than anything else in the world. She enjoyed an active lifestyle, traveling around the country and the world with her friends and family. She loved going to the opera and theater and was a longtime member of Congregation Or Ami. She enjoyed staying busy as an usher and English dialect coach for Theatre Suburbia and was a longtime docent at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, leading weekly tours of 3rd and 4th graders. She had a love of British mysteries, especially the Sherlock Holmes stories, and was a member of the Houston Sherlock Holmes society for many years. Caryll was preceded in death by her husband, Leigh Garfield; her parents, Isaac “Alf” Hart and Lee Yentis, nee Hart; her stepfather, Sam “Uncle Sam” Yentis; and her brothers, Alan and Sammy Hart. She is survived by her brother, Michael Hart; her two children, Simon Garfield and his wife, Rebecca Garfield, and Samantha Gaw and her husband, Alex Gaw; and her three grandchildren, Oliver Garfield, Ezra Gaw, and Lily Gaw; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. A graveside service will take place on Friday, December 26, 2025, at 2:30 pm at Beth Yeshurun Post Oak Cemetery, 7445 Awty School Lane, Houston, Texas 77055. The service will also be livestreamed at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/590602978?pwd=VkN2WWtWK0RXL3AwU0J3Uk9jeXJoZz09 In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Caryll’s favorite charities: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (www.mfah.org), Theatre Suburbia (www.theatresuburbia.org), or Congregation Or Ami (www.oramihouston.org).

Caryll Vicki Garfield

April 24, 1945 - December 22, 2025