Charles Patrick Garrison

Charles P. Garrison (Charlie) departed this life on December 23, 2024. He lived a long, beautiful life where his faith, family and friends were always the focus of his life. Charlie was the beloved husband of Estelle (Sanfilippo) Garrison; devoted father of Patricia & Vincent Montini, Charles & Debora Garrison, De & Doug Scacchetti, and Greg & Christina Garrison; cherished Pop Pop of Matthew & Danielle, Laura & Matt, Carly & Ian, Sarah & Stamati, Lindsay, Kayla, Colleen, Brenna, Thomas, Daniel and Caitlin and great grandfather to Audrey, Vincent, Sadie, and Cassidy. Charlie is predeceased by his mother and father, Charles & Dolores Garrison, his brother Lawrence Garrison, and his sisters, Gloria (Garrison) Kreider and Sally (Garrison) Torio.

Charlie was born on the West Side of Manhattan in an area known as “Hell’s Kitchen” on February 5, 1935, son of Charles and Dolores Garrison. He attended Sacred Heart Grammar School and De La Salle High School in Manhattan and City College of New York. He was a member of the 107th Division of the New York Army Reserve National Guard for a period of 10 years.

He met the love of his life, Estelle Sanfilippo, in 1956 when she was attending St. John’s University. They were married in 1957 and on September 29, 2024 they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary surrounded by family. Newly married, they lived in the Bronx before moving to River Vale in 1964 where they raised their four wonderful children.

In the early years while raising children, they enjoyed family vacations to Virginia Beach, upstate New York, and the Jersey Shore. Charlie was an avid tennis player and enjoyed gardening, photography, coin collecting, boating on the Hudson River, playing couples bridge, and entertaining family and friends around the pool in River Vale. He loved Neil Diamond. Charlie and Estelle loved to travel - taking trips to Italy, Spain, Portugal, and cruising the Caribbean.

Upon retirement, Charlie and Estelle moved to Cape May and spent 20 wonderful years hosting family vacations, meeting new friends, and servicing on Town Council and Municipal Town Zoning Boards in Cape May County before moving back to Bergen County in 2016 to be close to family.

Charlie had advice, wisdom, and an opinion to share in all things…solicited and unsolicited. His children, grandchildren, and friends sought him out whenever a need arose, and he would drop everything to lend a hand. Charlie’s philosophy/mantra of sorts could be best articulated in the following quote: “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.” Charlie would strike up a conversation with the stranger at Shop Rite, after mass at Presentation, in the hallways and elevators of the condo complex, and anywhere life would take him. He was a master storyteller. Although he never visited his homeland of Ireland, he certainly inherited the “gift of gab” from his mother, Dolores.

Charlie worked in the Mechanical Construction Industry for over 35 years. He began as a Master Plumber before taking on the roles of Construction Management and Project Management, working on numerous projects in the northeast for major New York construction design firms. During his later years he was employed by various pharmaceutical companies to design and oversee new project ventures.

Services will be held at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ on Sunday, December 29th from 1pm-5pm. A funeral mass in celebration of Charlie’s life and faith will be held at Church of the Presentation, 271 West Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River, NJ on Monday, December 30th at 10am. Graveside internment will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Wounded Warrior Project, Church of the Presentation, or your favorite charity.