Yu Mei Chang Garvin, 70

Yu Mei Chang Garvin, 70, of Fredericksburg went home to be with the Lord after a long and courageous battle with cancer, and passed away peacefully on Friday, May 9, 2014 at Capital Caring, Halquist Memorial Inpatient Hospice in Arlington.

Born in Taiwan, she came to the United States in 1969 and never looked back, fully embracing her newly adopted American home and citizenship.  After more than two decades of being a military spouse and enduring several moves throughout that time, she eventually relocated in 1988 to Virginia, where she began an unprecedented 25-year career as a car salesperson at a single dealership, Cowles Nissan in Woodbridge.  She quickly rose to become one of the top Nissan salespeople, not only at her dealership but across the entire region and country.  During that time she touched the lives of hundreds and perhaps thousands of her customers and fellow coworkers throughout her many years of loyal and dedicated customer service.

Yu Mei was an extremely loving and devoted mother and grandmother.  She lived life to the fullest and absolutely loved people – she never knew a stranger and was unparalleled in her compassion and caring for others.  She leaves behind a legacy of selfless sacrifice, dedication, and love – most notably poured into her son John whom she cherished and who adored her in return.

Survivors include her son John Chang Hicks and wife Theresa Hicks of Manassas; her two grandchildren, Sarah Hicks and Matthew Hicks; niece Sujen Weigand and her daughter, Jennifer Williams, both of Midlothian; and the numerous other family members, neighbors, friends, coworkers, and customers whose lives she touched greatly and in whose memories she will continue to live on.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg.

A funeral will be held at noon on Thursday, May 15, at the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Cancer Research Institute (www.cancerresearch.org), the V Foundation for Cancer Research (www.jimmyv.org), or In Touch Ministries (www.intouch.org).