President Garner

A few weeks ago we went to the funeral of a family friend. I grew up with his children in Flagstaff, (they had 8 children and I was the same age as #4) and now they all live here in the valley. He knew his time was short as he has been battling cancer for quite a few years and had decided to finally stop the treatments and let nature take it's course.

Because of his long illness, the family had a chance to do a great deal of family history before he passed away and they have some great letters he wrote to them giving them fatherly advice and instruction. President Garner worked for Church Education Services his whole life so he was quite the teacher and quite the Gospel scholar. This quote on his funeral program says it all...

His funeral was really great. He truly embodied the scripture 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

I was so lucky to be able to know him and his family and am so glad I attended his funeral. Brad and I have been quoting some of the lines and I'm putting them here so I will have them in my journal to remind myself of this faithful man and some of the new things I learned about him from his funeral...

When his daughter decided to push her boundaries and told her father she didn't want to go to church which she explained was her right because of free agency his reply was "of course you have free agency, you chose to come down to this family and this family chooses to go to church" problem solved!

His son at 16 years old was 6'3" 145 lbs of "pure muscle" but he didn't mess with his 5'11" father when he was reprimanded.

dad liked guns

His hunting trips with his sons which his sons referred to as "camping with guns" since they never shot anything

Dave said: And like Lehi of old we have our own personal scriptures from our father in the letters he wrote and mailed out to us during the last years of his life

"It's more important to raise children than grass" when his daughter worried that his grass was worn out in spots from all their playing in his perfectly manicured yard.

Kathy said her parents never missed one of her sporting events, and "even though some people mistook my dad for my grandpa at my games I didn't care, he never missed a game and lots of others never had their parents come."

Richard said, The best compliment I have ever received is you are just like your dad

Suzann will be walking with me!!! When another boy thought he'd walk Suzann to class Kent set the record straight in no uncertain terms!

Dad had a seat at the top of a tree when he was a boy that he fell from and as he reached the bottom, the last branch bent with him and softly landed him on his feet

Dad was a serial handshaker, he never left a room without shaking hands with everyone in the room

If my husband was anymore active in the church I'd never see him! Once someone thought Kent was a bit less active and called him to repentance, Suzann set them straight with her answer! (He was the Bishop of a singles ward so this person didn't see him at church in the family ward Suzann and the children attended.)

I love you, I love you, I love you, best last words ever!