- March 24, 2026
Rene passed away peacefully on the morning of March 14, 2026 at Halifax Health Hospice in Ormond Beach, Florida. Rene has been battling Alzheimer’s disease for many years. Prior to being placed in hospice she was cared for at Advent Health Palm Coast and Solaris Healthcare in Daytona Beach, Florida. Rene received the best of care from the professional health care workers in all of these facilities. A huge thank you goes out to them for their love, compassion and dedication to their professions from the entire De Garmo family, relatives and friends. Rene was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She then emigrated with her family to London, England in 1962. After living in London, the family resettled in Toronto, Canada where Rene found a position with Allstate Insurance. It was 1974 when we met on a blind date….she was “blind” and I was her “date”! After dating for about a year we were married in a small church near Jordan Station, Ontario on June 28, 1975. We lived in Buffalo, New York for 28 years before moving to Palm Coast, Florida 2008. Last year was our 50th wedding anniversary! We celebrated with music, laughter and love among our wonderful friends and family members in Palm Coast and in Buffalo. Rene was one of the most kind, considerate, hardworking and compassionate persons I had ever met. She and I became soul mates. When someone thought of Rene, they thought of Steve and vice versa. She loved to go on long walks, knit sew, read books and fashion magazines. She enjoyed cooking and her famous curried chicken was well-known among our neighbors, friends and family. She was proud of how she maintained our home and enjoyed entertaining relatives, friends and new acquaintances over to our home on West Delavan Avenue in Buffalo.
We enjoyed visiting with her mom, Dagmar and relatives in St. Catherines and the Toronto area. In the city of Buffalo she loved going to plays at Studio Arena Theater and concerts at Kleinhans Music Hall. She also enjoyed listening to groups like Air Supply at Melody Fair in Tonawanda, New York.
Rene and I loved to travel! We have visited all the states in America except Hawaii and Alaska and everyone of the provinces in Canada except Newfoundland and Labrador. We have sailed to places like Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados and Antigua in the Caribbean. Such beautiful, lasting memories! We have flown to Zermatt, Switzerland and Innsbruck, Austria when we went on ski vacations with our friends. While in Zermatt we could look out of our hotel window and see the iconic Matterhorn! How magnificent the European Alps are! The two of us I hiked with my sister Marilyn, her husband George and my three nephews the rugged terrain of Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Rene was always there to give support and encouragement to me and our loved ones during all of our adventures. We used to travel to Ludlow, Vermont and Ogunquit, Maine almost every fall when we lived in Western New York.
We often traveled with friends and family and enjoyed the gorgeous brilliant colors of the foliage and the wonderful aroma being emitted from a delicious pancake breakfast. Rene loved holding onto me tightly as we motorcycled on the highways and byways of Western New York. For such a quiet, unassuming lady, she was always ready for any Odyssey we went on. On January 31, 1982 Rene brought our son James into the world. Time seemed to pass quickly and our lives were filled with delight and serenity. Rene’s spirit lives on in the hearts and souls of all those who loved her. God bless you, Rene, for you have enriched the lives of so many individuals who have had the privilege and honor of knowing you. She is preceded in death by her mother, Dagmar, her father, Jacob and her brother, Graham. Rene is survived by her devoted husband, Steve, of 50 years of marriage and her wonderful loving family.
She leaves behind her son James and his wife, Rocio, along with their children, Tyler and Kayden.Rene is also survived by her sister-in-law, Marilyn and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A Celebration of life will be under the direction of
Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home, 511 Old Kings Rd. S., Flagler Beach, FL 32136 on April 7, 2026 12pm. Friends may gather beginning at 11AM. Another Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Buffalo, New York. The family requests that all charitable donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association:
alz.org. Arrangements are in the Care & Trust of Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home, Crematory & Memorial Gardens.
