William “Bill” Lee Garrison

Our cherished father, grandpa, and brother died in his sleep in the early hours of June 10, 2016. Bill was born in Hammond, Indiana on September 10, 1928 to James Edgar Garrison and Grace Hart Baggerly. He was the second of six children. Bill spent his childhood on farms in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa where he hoed corn, tended gardens, and helped raise everything that the family ate.
 
As a boy, he attended West Union country school and Independence school. Both were one room school houses. He attended Horace Mann Middle School and Burlington High School, graduating in 1947. During his junior high and high school years, he had a paper route. He worked one summer at Case Company in the blacksmith shop. He also worked with his dad hauling coal to customers.
 
After high school, he worked for Case Company on the assembly line until he was drafted into the military for the Korean War in June of 1950. He served in the army for two years, spending 15 months in Korea. While in the army he went to refrigeration school in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. After his training, he went to Korea to the Far East command, joining Company B with the 453rd Corps of Engineers. He served one year in the Engineer Corps using a pick and shovel to keep roads, rails, and bridges in repair for movement of troops and supplies for combat. During his deployment, he advanced from Buck Private to Corporal. He built an ice maker for his commanding officer, earning him the nickname “Deep Freeze.”
 
After returning home from Korea, he worked at Case Company for six months until he was laid off, and then worked with his dad for one year hauling garbage. Bill converted to the LDS faith at the age of 27. He used his GI Bill to attend Brigham Young University from 1954 to 1958, where he graduated with a Secondary Teaching Degree in Industrial Education. After university he served in the California Mission for the LDS Church from January 1959 to January 1961. His mission area covered southern California and Arizona. During his mission, he was the Supervising Elder of the Flagstaff, Arizona District.
 
Bill was a teacher at Granite High School from 1961 to 1991. He taught Mechanical and Architectural Drafting and General Metals. Towards the end of his career, he taught Basic Math and Commercial Lettering. During his 30 year teaching career, he was twice awarded the Teacher of the Year Award. He also earned the Apple Award for perfect attendance and was the leader for the VICA club. In his tenure as teacher, he taught three 2nd generation students, two of whom went on to become Draftsmen. After retiring, he taught Basic Math in night school. He was an excellent mentor and loved teaching. He had an insatiable appetite for learning.
 
While living in Salt Lake City he met his sweetheart, Nathalie Olsen, in 1961. They were married on June 13, 1962 in the Salt Lake Temple. Together, they bought their first home in Granger where they lived for 12 years. They moved their family to Bountiful in 1974 to a home on ¾ of an acre of land. There they raised a garden and orchard, kept bees, chickens, chukars, and rabbits, and taught their four children the value of hard work. He was the Merit Badge Counselor for beekeeping and gave many presentations at Oak Hills Elementary School. The students would walk to his home for a field trip to watch him keep bees.
Bill served in the LDS Church as a Counselor to the Bishop, Ward Statistical Clerk, High Councilman, and Secretary to the Stake President. He taught the Gospel Doctrine class in Sunday School, was the Assistant to the Sunday School Superintendent, Assistant to the High Priest Group Leader, and served as the Ward Emergency Preparedness Leader. He was a diligent Home Teacher and was in charge of the Stake Blood Drives.
Bill lost his sweetheart after 53 years of marriage in February of this year. His heart never completely mended and he joined her sooner than we hoped. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, and his brother, Roy Garrison. He is survived by his children, daughter LaRaida (Stan) Pies, daughter Katrina Garrison, son Jeffrey (Leslie) Garrison, son Nathan (Trish) Garrison, brother Eugene (Rosemary) Garrison, sister Ferne Ingalls, brother Ray (Mary Jean) Garrison, brother David (Cecile) Garrison, 11 grandchildren, and 5 great­grandchildren.
A viewing will be held at the LDS church located at 33 South Moss Hill Drive, Bountiful, on Sunday June 19th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and again on Monday June 20th from 9:45 to 10:45 am. The funeral service will commence at 11:00 am. Interment will be at the Lakeview Memorial Estates Cemetery in Bountiful, Utah. Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.memorialutah.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society (https://donate.cancer.org) or the American Diabetes Association (https://donations.diabetes.org). Special thanks to the dedicated and compassionate staff at Rocky Mountain Care Center for their loving care of our dad in his final days.
Service Information
Viewing June 19, 2016 at 6 to 8 pm
33 South Moss Hill Drive, Bountiful, Utah 84010





Viewing June 20, 2016 at 9:45 am to 10:45 am
33 South Moss Hill Drive, Bountiful, Utah 84010





Funeral Service
June 20, 2016 at 11:00 am
33 South Moss Hill Drive, Bountiful, Utah 84010