City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Robbie Carlton Garner
Holly Springs, North Carolina
Age 80.
Died 09/28/2025.
Robbie was born on November 16, 1944 in Churchland, NC, to the late Clyde and Docia Garner.
He graduated from West Davidson High School in 1962. After graduation, he attended Kings College in Charlotte, earning a degree in Accounting and forming many lifelong friendships during his time there. Robbie also proudly served in the National Guard for six years. He went on to enjoy a long career as a software engineer at First Citizens Bank, where he played a key role in supporting the bank’s technology and growth until his retirement in 2000.
Robbie was a member of Woodhaven Baptist Church in Apex, North Carolina, where he enjoyed teaching preschool-aged children on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, and during Vacation Bible School. He served with the Woodhaven on Mission group, helping prepare and serve meals at the homeless shelter, and was a member of the Fellowship Committee. On Sunday mornings, he enjoyed greeting and welcoming new guests. Robbie was willing to help anywhere he felt called. Through his many acts of service and through participation in his Sunday School class, he formed many meaningful and lasting friendships.
Robbie’s greatest joy was his family. He lit up with a beaming smile whenever family came to visit, always showing how happy he was to see his loved ones. He was extremely proud of his entire family.
Robbie had a gift for creating beauty. He had a passion for gardening, working tirelessly to create a yard of beauty. He propagated hundreds of new plants, sharing them generously, and they now grow in our yards as lasting reminders of him. He was a skilled woodworker, making unique wall boxes, bluebird houses, and many other pieces. Robbie also loved the beach - sunning, shopping, seafood, and shagging to beach music were among his favorite pastimes. An avid card player, he spent countless hours playing cards with his family, often winning, even in his final months.
Despite many health struggles, Robbie faced each challenge with strength, grace, and optimism. He never complained and always had a positive attitude. His sweet nature, grateful spirit, and witty personality always made him a favorite among caregivers, who often remarked on how much they enjoyed him and how he brightened their days. Many family and friends often joked that he had nine lives, as he consistently overcame obstacles and defied the doctors’ predictions.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved sisters and their husbands, Connie and Jimmy Koontz and Delois and Paul Wilson, as well as many dear aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Judy; his children, Trevor (Karie), Chad (Kimmie), Tara (Jeremy), his step-daughter Scarlette (William); ten grandchildren, Evan (Claire), Claire (Will), Sarah, Ana, Ashton, Jenna, Brooke, Maddie (Antonia), Allie (Greg), and Will; one great-granddaughter, Elena; and numerous relatives.
A memorial service celebrating Robbie’s Christian testimony will be held on Saturday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary at Woodhaven Baptist Church, 4000 Kildaire Farm Rd, Apex. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
Robbie’s love for his family, tender heart, kindness, humor and enduring strength will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.