 |
 |
| Garry L. Weaver |
| February 04, 1945 - July 08, 2009 |
Tucson, Arizona
|
| Memorial Service: 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 25, 2009 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Grinnell |
| Visitation: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the family present to greet friends from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., July 24, 2009 at Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell |
Interment: following his memorial service on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at Prairie View Cemetery in Gilman with military rites
|
Memorials: Veterans Administration Hospice and may be sent in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO BOX 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.
|
Garry Lee Weaver was born the son of Fred L. and Ida Barr Weaver on February 4, 1945, in Marshalltown, IA. He graduated from Grinnell High School with the class of 1963.
Garry knew he was not cut out to toil the soil at an early age so he enrolled in PTI in Omaha, NE. This was a technical school and a job was guaranteed upon successful completion of the course work. Just imagine a small town, young man from the farm heading off for the Big Apple to work for Western Union! Several of his classmates also had jobs in New York so they all began their employment and shared an apartment in the city. Garry loved the big city, he quickly learned his way around, enjoyed his work, and he especially loved to entertain family and friends at the World’s Fair in 1964!
|
After two years in New York City, Garry decided his work was just “okay” and he wanted to see the world. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and completed his Basic Training at the Great Lakes Training Center in Illinois. From there he was assigned to the USS WASP, a gigantic aircraft carrier. Garry was honored by being selected as Sailor of the Month and he was also the organist on this huge water-going vessel. Garry was very proud of his dedication to his country, Our United States of America. When his four year enlistment was up he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he worked in a hospital emergency room for six years. New challenges awaited when Garry was hired by the Chicago Northwestern Railroad System in 1979. He served in an administrative position and was transferred to Chicago in 1985 until he retired in 1994. When Garry retired from the railroad he began taking classes on setting up a business and flower arranging. He soon purchased the Edgewater Florist Shop in downtown Chicago and operated it until 2004.
|
Traveling got in Garry’s blood and since he was semi-retired he did travel. He decided to settle down in Tucson, Arizona, where his sister Dolores lives. Garry loved the area and he fit right in, once again sharing his love for flowers by working part-time in a floral department. Garry kept very physically fit by walking daily and swimming; he also ran many marathons. He was a person that loved the beauty of flowers, and animals, especially larger dogs! When cancer overtook his body so suddenly, he never lost his wonderful attitude and appreciation for all his caregivers, his friends and family.
|
Garry is survived by his God Son, Isaiah Ricketts of Illinois; his brothers, Fred, Warren and Roger Weaver, all of Iowa; his sisters, Dolores Harrison of Arizona; and Marilyn Merkel of Texas; in addition to many nieces and nephews throughout the U.S. and his many relatives in Iowa. Garry readily made friends wherever he went and he will be greatly missed by his family and his friends.
|
|
If you would like to share your thoughts and memories,
we will deliver your message to the family.
Click
here.
|
|
