The death of Juliet Tarver, 91, on April 15, 2022, resurrected quite a few childhood and adult memories of this devoutly Christian lady.
My family moved to Glennville the summer before my fourth grade year. We relocated to Henry Street after about a year in another house. Our family was neighbors to Juliet and Mills Tarver after they bought the home next to us that we were renting at the time. A few years later, we became across the street neighbors.
In fourth grade, I can remember being in Ms. Juliet’s music classes, held in a room to the right as one entered what is now the Glennville City Auditorium. I recall so well her beaming smile and enthusiasm for the music and her students. This became a favorite hour of my school day.
Ms. Juliet, as I always knew her, was a talented artist and historian, and I valued her extensive, meticulous research that went into the painting of the 7 ft. x 24 ft. mural, that is titled “Glennville’s Heart.” She and artist Socorro DeLoach spent months laboring over the painting that depicted Glennville homes, businesses, and activities of 1915. It was housed in the Glennville-Tattnall Museum until recently, and prints, 15” x 40”, are available of this Glennville keepsake from the Friends of the Glennwanis, for a price of $50 each. Mine is matted and framed in our home, and I consider it a forever keepsake. This wall mural was painted for Glennville’s Centennial celebration in 1994, and Ms. Juliet and Socorro spent months ensuring that the information was as correct as possible on the mural. Ms. Juliet also saw about the placement of painted wooden signs with their year of being built in front of the historic properties or in their windows of the homes and businesses on the mural.
Ms. Juliet was also a talented artist of coastal scenes that she painted, and we have one of those, “September Oysters,” hanging on a wall of our coast home. She dearly loved the coast, especially Shellman Bluff, where her family had a vacation home where she loved to spend time. Her artistic talent was confirmed in the “heart” she placed into her canvases of coastal scenes.
I interviewed Ms. Juliet in 2019 for our feature story in Senior Moments and for the cover photo. I raptly listened to her for several hours reminiscing about her childhood, parents, and early life in Glennville. She smiled the entire time, often bursting into laughter and chuckles when she was recalling a memorable event. At this time, she was also enjoying her first grandchild (Penelope Tarver) and sharing stories of how amazingly smart she was!
I so vividly recall the wide smile that almost always graced Ms. Juliet’s face. When I visited her several months ago at NorthSpring Assisted Living, she had just been released from the hospital. However, she still smiled and greeted me warmly and said she was “doing okay,” even though I could tell she was quite weak. Like always, she asked, “Now, how is all your family?”
Ms. Juliet had a passion for her Lord that she was always willing and ready to share with others. She was never shy about asking if you were a Christian. During her lifetime, Ms. Juliet transported countless children to Sunday School and church at First Baptist in Glennville. She would gladly pick up the children from their homes Sunday morning and then return them after church. She touched so many lives with her sincerity, giving Christian spirit, and an endearing humbleness that always made you feel comfortable. Ms. Juliet has many crowns in Heaven today and is certainly rejoicing at the feet of Jesus. She had no doubt that she would be in eternity with God and His Son.
The Tarver family will certainly miss Ms. Juliet and her quiet ways, but she was ready to move to her Heavenly Home. During her lifetime, she blessed so many in opening the door to a life with Christ Jesus.
