Arthur Alden Garrison

Arthur Alden Garrison, 3rd child of Benjamin Harlan and Nellie Blanche (Garner) Garrison, was born Dec. 26th, 1913 at the family farm home in Harlan County, nine miles north of Alma, Nebraska, and departed this life March 31, 2011 at the age of 97 years, 3 months, and 5 days.Art, as he was known, spent his first 18 years on the family farm, first attending country school District 40, traveling to and from school by horse and buggy with his older sister and brother, then completing his education at Huntley, Nebraska, consolidated school, graduating with the class of 1931. After graduation, Art helped build US highway 183, which ran alongside his parent's farm, the first oiled (asphalt) road in that part of the state. Still in the thr s of depression, and not enough jobs to go around for untrained young men, Art went to Los Angeles to find work. On Oct. 11, 1937 in Hollywood, California he was united in marriage to Velva May Gustafson, also from Nebraska.Art worked at the Ford plant in San Pedro as a carpenter. After Pearl Harbor, he, with his wife and his father in law, traveled to Olympia, Washington to help build new army camps, Fort Lewis and Camp Murray. That finished, Art and Velva returned to Los Angeles, where Art trained to be a welder and was promoted to lead man of a group of men building Victory ships for the US Navy, working for two years before he was classified 1A in the draft. He did not seek deferment from his essential status, but instead enlisted in the United States Navy as a welder in the Seabee division. After boot camp in Williamsburg, Virginia, Art left for Port Hueneme, California where, the day after Christmas, his birthday, he shipped out.In Hawaii, purely by chance, he ran across his brother David (Pat), who had been drafted into the Army in Nebraska and was in Hawaii awaiting embarkation. They had a few days together before Pat was sent to the Philippines, while Art's ship took him to the Midway Islands where he was stationed for the next two years. When WWII was over, Art returned home and was honorably discharged Oct. 18, 1945 with the rank of Ship Fitter 1st class.One year after Art returned to civilian life in Los Angeles, and their first child, Gary Arthur, was 6 weeks old, the family moved back to Huntley, Nebraska where they farmed for nearly 15 years. There, they were blest with two daughters, Karen Ann and Beverly Dee, and another son, Brian Harlan.Art was baptized in the Huntley United Methodist Church by the Rev. Jerry McInnis. He served on the church board of Trustees, and the Huntley school board for several years.In Aug. 1961, the family moved to DeBeque, Colorado and the next year to Grand Junction, Colorado where they lived for 18 years. Art owned and operated a service station for a few years, before again taking up his trade as a welder, helping build Morrow Point Dam near Gunnison, Colorado. During those first years in Grand Junction, Art and Velva were foster parents to many children. Art and Velva were charter members of the Crossroads United Methodist Church in Grand Junction where Art served on the board of Trustees.Art became an employee of the Veteran's Hospital in Grand Junction and retired from there in 1980. The couple then moved to Lafayette, Colorado and joined the Niwot United Methodist Church where their son-in-law was pastor. Four years later they moved to Dacono, Colorado and joined the Rinn United Methodist Church. They spent many happy years traveling throughout the US, including Alaska. In Jan. 1997, they moved into St. Vrain Manor, a retirement facility in Longmont, Colorado and joined the First United Methodist Church. Art moved to The Peaks long term care facility in May, 2008 where he resided until his death. Always joking and kidding, Art was well liked and respected and dearly revered by his wife and family. He was a loving father and grandfather, and will be greatly missed.Art lived a long, happy, and useful life. On Oct. 11, 2010 Art and Velva celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary. Art was absent for two anniversaries while he was in the navy on Midway Island.Preceding him in death were his grandparents; his parents; an older brother, Cecil, and his wife, Agnes; a older sister, Doris, and her husband, Hobart Skiles; a younger brother, David, and his wife, Dorothy; a younger sister, Gladys, and her husband, Ernest Spargo; brothers-in-law Cyril Gustafson and Raymond Smith; and sister-in-law, Wanda (Smith) Boles.Surviving are his devoted wife, Velva, son Gary and wife Debra of Ward, Colorado; daughter Karen and husband Rev. Dr. David Jaeger of Longmont, Colorado; daughter Beverly and husband David Schnell of Bushnell, Nebraska; and son Brian and wife Tanya of Weatherford, Oklahoma; one sister, Helen Kriebs of California, one sister in law, Charlotte Gustafson of Grand Junction, Colorado, 11 grandchildren and their spouses and seven precious great grand children, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 8, 2011 at First United Methodist Church, 350 11th Ave., Longmont, Colorado. Arthur will be laid to rest with full military honors in the Foothills Garden of Memory near Longmont, Colorado.Memorials may be sent to The Alzheimer's Assn. Colo. Chapter, Inc., 455 Sherman St., Ste 500, Denver, CO 80203-4405; First United Methodist Church, 350 11th Ave., Longmont, CO 80501-4322; Rinn United Methodist Church, 3783 Weld County Road 20, Longmont, CO 80504; or Recipient of Choice.