Mrs. Marilynn Venator Gargaro, 87, passed away on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at Old Dominion Rehabilitation & Nursing Home in Newport News, Virginia. She was born Marilynn Harriet Venator in St. Louis, Missouri to Edward Charles and Marie Catherine (Taub) Venator. She attended Laboure High School in St. Louis, graduating in 1954.
She worked in the typing pool for several enterprises, including the U.S. Postal Service, International Shoe Company, and finally The Continental Insurance Company. During her employment there, she met her future husband, John Louis Gargaro, originally of Vicksburg, Mississippi. They were married in May of 1971, and welcomed their only child, John Louis Gargaro II, in September of 1972. Following her husband’s job transfer to Ft. Monroe, VA, the family relocated to Newport News, VA in August of 1983.
Besides her family and pets, her passions in life were reading, fine dining with friends, and traveling. A lover of history, she was a frequent visitor to Colonial Williamsburg for many years. Following her husband’s retirement in 1995, they made several significant trips including a cruise to Bermuda, and two trips to Europe, fulfilling lifetime dreams of visiting several ancestral home countries. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, she will be missed.
Mrs. Gargaro was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 43 years, John Louis Gargaro; a stepdaughter, Marian Gargaro and two step-grandchildren, Matthew Shoop and Nicholas Gargaro. She is survived by her son, John Louis Gargaro II and wife, Morgan C. Gargaro of Yorktown, Virginia; three step-children, Julie C. Anstaett of Apopka, Florida, Dianne M. Gargaro of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and John Matthew Gargaro and wife, Franci E. Gargaro of Coral Springs, Florida; 4 grandchildren, Lauren, John III, Alice, and Julian; 5 step-grandchildren, Dorsey, Emily, Rosie, Jason, and Jessica; a number of step-great grandchildren and several cousins.
