Howard L. Garrett, 90, of Midland passed away on August 29th, 2016, surrounded by his family. Howard was born in the farm house near Freeland where his grandparents once lived. In high school, he developed an interest in chemistry which led to his first job at Dow Chemical at age 17. With encouragement from his supervisor at Dow, he went on to earn a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. After earning his degree, he headed west to work at Rocky Flats in Colorado, which was operated by Dow Chemical.
In Colorado he developed his interests in photography and hiking. He also developed a love for wilderness areas, especially National Parks. Eventually he enlisted in the Army with assignments in the southeastern states and then a final assignment in Colorado. After his discharge from the army, he completed a M.S. in Botany at the University of Michigan.
During his final semester at U of M, he met his future wife on a group hike through the campus. Conversation came easy and they soon discovered they had many common interests. He proposed at Thanksgiving and they were married by the following June. Howard said that meeting Kathy was the highlight of his life.
Howard and Kathy settled in Midland and raised three children. Howard pursued his career at Dow Chemical as an analytical chemist, with a specialty of microscopy. In Midland he developed an active life in the community with the Midland Camera Club, the Midland Nature Club, the United Church of Christ, and the Midland Beautification Advisory Committee.
He was particularly active in the founding of the Chippewa Nature Center and took great satisfaction in working with talented staff to develop CNC over many years. He was instrumental in the development of the CNC arboretum that bears his name.
Family life included many adventurous travels. It was not uncommon to spend a month in the summer traveling with a pop-up tent trailer to explore many of the nation's National Parks and other natural areas. The tent trailer even made it to Alaska and Guatemala, adventures that will not be forgotten.
After retiring from Dow Chemical, Howard and Kathy traveled to many International destinations including Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Africa, and many European countries.
When Howard was not traveling, he tended his incredible garden of Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
Howard lost his wife in 2002 after a long illness. He took such good care of her in her final years. After Kathy's passing he carried on with his sense of adventure and explored Antarctica, Africa, the northern lights in Alaska, Costa Rica, India, Greece, and Turkey before he had to give up the traveling life. When he could no longer tend to his beautiful garden to his high standards, he decided it was time to move to Independence Village. Eventually higher levels of care prompted moves to Bickford Cottage, Stratford Village, and finally Midland King's Daughters.
He repeated the phrase that "aging is not for sissies" and he handled it with grace. Despite repeated visits to the hospital and various discomforts, he continued to smile and delight us with his contagious laugh. He was a "glass is half full" kind of guy to the very end and leaves a legacy of optimism to his children, Sherilyn & Michael Farris, Paul & Helen Garrett, and Duane Garrett & Michele Monteith; his grandchildren Dylan, Melissa, Tyler, Lauryn, Colin, and Landon; and his brother Melvin, and sister-in-law Elaine; and many other friends and relatives.
Funeral services for Mr. Garrett will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Friday September 2, 2016 from United Church of Christ with Rev. Roger Pancost officiating. Interment will take place 2:00 p.m. at Midland City Cemetery. Family will receive friends at the Wilson MILLER Funeral Home 4210 N. Saginaw Rd Midland on Thursday from 4 till 8:00 p.m. and at the church on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Midland United Church of Christ or the Chippewa Nature Center.
The Wilson MILLER Funeral Home.
In Colorado he developed his interests in photography and hiking. He also developed a love for wilderness areas, especially National Parks. Eventually he enlisted in the Army with assignments in the southeastern states and then a final assignment in Colorado. After his discharge from the army, he completed a M.S. in Botany at the University of Michigan.
During his final semester at U of M, he met his future wife on a group hike through the campus. Conversation came easy and they soon discovered they had many common interests. He proposed at Thanksgiving and they were married by the following June. Howard said that meeting Kathy was the highlight of his life.
Howard and Kathy settled in Midland and raised three children. Howard pursued his career at Dow Chemical as an analytical chemist, with a specialty of microscopy. In Midland he developed an active life in the community with the Midland Camera Club, the Midland Nature Club, the United Church of Christ, and the Midland Beautification Advisory Committee.
He was particularly active in the founding of the Chippewa Nature Center and took great satisfaction in working with talented staff to develop CNC over many years. He was instrumental in the development of the CNC arboretum that bears his name.
Family life included many adventurous travels. It was not uncommon to spend a month in the summer traveling with a pop-up tent trailer to explore many of the nation's National Parks and other natural areas. The tent trailer even made it to Alaska and Guatemala, adventures that will not be forgotten.
After retiring from Dow Chemical, Howard and Kathy traveled to many International destinations including Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Africa, and many European countries.
When Howard was not traveling, he tended his incredible garden of Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
Howard lost his wife in 2002 after a long illness. He took such good care of her in her final years. After Kathy's passing he carried on with his sense of adventure and explored Antarctica, Africa, the northern lights in Alaska, Costa Rica, India, Greece, and Turkey before he had to give up the traveling life. When he could no longer tend to his beautiful garden to his high standards, he decided it was time to move to Independence Village. Eventually higher levels of care prompted moves to Bickford Cottage, Stratford Village, and finally Midland King's Daughters.
He repeated the phrase that "aging is not for sissies" and he handled it with grace. Despite repeated visits to the hospital and various discomforts, he continued to smile and delight us with his contagious laugh. He was a "glass is half full" kind of guy to the very end and leaves a legacy of optimism to his children, Sherilyn & Michael Farris, Paul & Helen Garrett, and Duane Garrett & Michele Monteith; his grandchildren Dylan, Melissa, Tyler, Lauryn, Colin, and Landon; and his brother Melvin, and sister-in-law Elaine; and many other friends and relatives.
Funeral services for Mr. Garrett will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Friday September 2, 2016 from United Church of Christ with Rev. Roger Pancost officiating. Interment will take place 2:00 p.m. at Midland City Cemetery. Family will receive friends at the Wilson MILLER Funeral Home 4210 N. Saginaw Rd Midland on Thursday from 4 till 8:00 p.m. and at the church on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Midland United Church of Christ or the Chippewa Nature Center.
The Wilson MILLER Funeral Home.
Howard L. Garrett, 90, of Midland passed away on August 29th, 2016, surrounded by his family. Howard was born in the farm house near Freeland where his grandparents once lived. In high school, he developed an interest in chemistry which led to his first job at Dow Chemical at age 17. With encouragement from his supervisor at Dow, he went on to earn a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. After earning his degree, he headed west to work at Rocky Flats in Colorado, which was operated by Dow Chemical.
In Colorado he developed his interests in photography and hiking. He also developed a love for wilderness areas, especially National Parks. Eventually he enlisted in the Army with assignments in the southeastern states and then a final assignment in Colorado. After his discharge from the army, he completed a M.S. in Botany at the University of Michigan.
During his final semester at U of M, he met his future wife on a group hike through the campus. Conversation came easy and they soon discovered they had many common interests. He proposed at Thanksgiving and they were married by the following June. Howard said that meeting Kathy was the highlight of his life.
Howard and Kathy settled in Midland and raised three children. Howard pursued his career at Dow Chemical as an analytical chemist, with a specialty of microscopy. In Midland he developed an active life in the community with the Midland Camera Club, the Midland Nature Club, the United Church of Christ, and the Midland Beautification Advisory Committee.
He was particularly active in the founding of the Chippewa Nature Center and took great satisfaction in working with talented staff to develop CNC over many years. He was instrumental in the development of the CNC arboretum that bears his name.
Family life included many adventurous travels. It was not uncommon to spend a month in the summer traveling with a pop-up tent trailer to explore many of the nation's National Parks and other natural areas. The tent trailer even made it to Alaska and Guatemala, adventures that will not be forgotten.
After retiring from Dow Chemical, Howard and Kathy traveled to many International destinations including Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Africa, and many European countries.
When Howard was not traveling, he tended his incredible garden of Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
Howard lost his wife in 2002 after a long illness. He took such good care of her in her final years. After Kathy's passing he carried on with his sense of adventure and explored Antarctica, Africa, the northern lights in Alaska, Costa Rica, India, Greece, and Turkey before he had to give up the traveling life. When he could no longer tend to his beautiful garden to his high standards, he decided it was time to move to Independence Village. Eventually higher levels of care prompted moves to Bickford Cottage, Stratford Village, and finally Midland King's Daughters.
He repeated the phrase that "aging is not for sissies" and he handled it with grace. Despite repeated visits to the hospital and various discomforts, he continued to smile and delight us with his contagious laugh. He was a "glass is half full" kind of guy to the very end and leaves a legacy of optimism to his children, Sherilyn & Michael Farris, Paul & Helen Garrett, and Duane Garrett & Michele Monteith; his grandchildren Dylan, Melissa, Tyler, Lauryn, Colin, and Landon; and his brother Melvin, and sister-in-law Elaine; and many other friends and relatives.
Funeral services for Mr. Garrett will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Friday September 2, 2016 from United Church of Christ with Rev. Roger Pancost officiating. Interment will take place 2:00 p.m. at Midland City Cemetery. Family will receive friends at the Wilson MILLER Funeral Home 4210 N. Saginaw Rd Midland on Thursday from 4 till 8:00 p.m. and at the church on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Midland United Church of Christ or the Chippewa Nature Center.
The Wilson MILLER Funeral Home.
In Colorado he developed his interests in photography and hiking. He also developed a love for wilderness areas, especially National Parks. Eventually he enlisted in the Army with assignments in the southeastern states and then a final assignment in Colorado. After his discharge from the army, he completed a M.S. in Botany at the University of Michigan.
During his final semester at U of M, he met his future wife on a group hike through the campus. Conversation came easy and they soon discovered they had many common interests. He proposed at Thanksgiving and they were married by the following June. Howard said that meeting Kathy was the highlight of his life.
Howard and Kathy settled in Midland and raised three children. Howard pursued his career at Dow Chemical as an analytical chemist, with a specialty of microscopy. In Midland he developed an active life in the community with the Midland Camera Club, the Midland Nature Club, the United Church of Christ, and the Midland Beautification Advisory Committee.
He was particularly active in the founding of the Chippewa Nature Center and took great satisfaction in working with talented staff to develop CNC over many years. He was instrumental in the development of the CNC arboretum that bears his name.
Family life included many adventurous travels. It was not uncommon to spend a month in the summer traveling with a pop-up tent trailer to explore many of the nation's National Parks and other natural areas. The tent trailer even made it to Alaska and Guatemala, adventures that will not be forgotten.
After retiring from Dow Chemical, Howard and Kathy traveled to many International destinations including Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Africa, and many European countries.
When Howard was not traveling, he tended his incredible garden of Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
Howard lost his wife in 2002 after a long illness. He took such good care of her in her final years. After Kathy's passing he carried on with his sense of adventure and explored Antarctica, Africa, the northern lights in Alaska, Costa Rica, India, Greece, and Turkey before he had to give up the traveling life. When he could no longer tend to his beautiful garden to his high standards, he decided it was time to move to Independence Village. Eventually higher levels of care prompted moves to Bickford Cottage, Stratford Village, and finally Midland King's Daughters.
He repeated the phrase that "aging is not for sissies" and he handled it with grace. Despite repeated visits to the hospital and various discomforts, he continued to smile and delight us with his contagious laugh. He was a "glass is half full" kind of guy to the very end and leaves a legacy of optimism to his children, Sherilyn & Michael Farris, Paul & Helen Garrett, and Duane Garrett & Michele Monteith; his grandchildren Dylan, Melissa, Tyler, Lauryn, Colin, and Landon; and his brother Melvin, and sister-in-law Elaine; and many other friends and relatives.
Funeral services for Mr. Garrett will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Friday September 2, 2016 from United Church of Christ with Rev. Roger Pancost officiating. Interment will take place 2:00 p.m. at Midland City Cemetery. Family will receive friends at the Wilson MILLER Funeral Home 4210 N. Saginaw Rd Midland on Thursday from 4 till 8:00 p.m. and at the church on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Midland United Church of Christ or the Chippewa Nature Center.
The Wilson MILLER Funeral Home.
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