David Michael Garrett
David Michael Garrett
(August 28th 1949-March 22nd 2020)
David Garrett was born on August 28th, 1949 in Middlesbrough England and he passed away in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 22nd, 2020 at 70 years of age. His parents names were Gary and Ennid. He had three sisters, Geraldine, Sandra (deceased), and his youngest Sister Christine. He loved all of his sister’s very much and often spoke about them. He was very close to his nephews Barry and Paul. He had one son Jonathan. He was very proud of him and constantly rode him to push for the best life possible.
Dave had things he was passionate about in his life. He loved watching football which in Canada we know as soccer. By far his favourite team was in the Premier League known as Wolverhampton Wanderers, better known as The Wolves. I don’t think he ever missed a game. David liked spending time with friends talking and bantering and often over a pint of Stella or pint of Guinness. He was always giving of himself to others. Whenever he thought someone was in need he was there. For example he used to go out on a weekly basis to buy groceries for my mom. He used to do the same thing for my brother Brian who has schizophrenia. And he would go and sit with my mom and have tea with her every afternoon.
David is fondly missed. He had a panache for stirring things up. He was an intellectual man and loved to rile people up so that he could get to know what made them tick. He loved sarcasm and that showed with his disdain for political correctness. David was hot-tempered and stubborn at times never backing down when he thought he was in the right which was often. He enjoyed the company of younger people as well as that of certain older ones. David was particularly fond of children. He had a knack for making kids laugh and how entertained he was by them.
Dave has maintained a few very close friendships. He was close for a long while with his friends Peter and Cheryl. And he was definitely close to my wife Heidi and myself. He was close friends with Indira and her family, Judy Josol and her family and was often the host of many of Jonathan’s friends for sleepovers while Jonathan was growing up. David loved opportunities to spoil Jonathan. Especially at Christmas time and on Jonathan’s birthday. I can remember at times he would have 30 or 40 gifts. Jonathan says 60. But that was the way David was. Very rarely were things in moderation. He was an all-or-nothing man. You knew that when you worked with him he would give 100% every day. He was passionate about the things he cared about such as work, family, and soccer, and other things just did not hold a candle to him. He spent time out of his schedule for years being a big brother to those in need even taking some of the kids to Disney World to give them an opportunity for something they missed out on. He took care of the men that worked for him, often taking them out for a beer after work always on his treat. He was very conscientious about paperwork having been a vice president of risk management for many years. This was a quality that he has never been able to instill in me. We worked together for 20 years as close friends and business partners. What I lacked were his skills. And what he lacked I made up for. Although we had different personalities we were always there for each other.
When David got cancer he got to learn how close our friendship was and how much his son Jonathan loved him. He went through a lot in the last 3 years of his life. But he seldom complained about how he felt. David was a trustworthy man. He was a hard-working man. He loved his son. He loved his family back in England. He loved his country. And he loved his soccer. We will miss David in the years to come and hope to see him again one day.
(I’ve had time to reflect and write a better more detailed version)
In Memory of David Michael Garrett
I first met Dave back in 1967 when I’d quit university and ended up doing a temporary stint at Wolverhampton Tax Office. The job was boring as hell, but that’s where I got to know him. Dave was Wolves through and through, mad about football, and the kind of bloke who managed to get everyone involved. Nobody got left out when Dave was around – he just had that knack of making everyone feel part of things.
I’d been a Wolves supporter since I was about six, but by then I’d stopped going. I’ve always suffered with agoraphobia, and honestly, I didn’t want to risk it. Dave wasn’t having any of that. “Come along, we’ll look after you,” he said – and he meant it. And he did.
One summer, Dave organised a camping trip to Falmouth, where he’d gone to school as a lad. That trip changed my life. I fell in love with the place so much that I eventually moved to Cornwall – and I’ve been here 45 years now, more than half my life. My wife and I built our lives here, our son was born here, my parents moved here and are buried here. Even my best mate and his family ended up here. All those things – all those lives – happened because of one man, because Dave said, “Come along.”
After I left the tax office and went to work in Birmingham, I lost touch. I tried to track him down years later, thinking he’d moved to Leicester – never knowing he’d actually gone to Canada (along with his sister and her husband). We never met again.
Dave passed away without ever knowing the influence he had on me and the others in my life. But I want it said now: he changed the course of my life, and I’ll always be grateful. I wish he was still with us, and I wish I’d had the chance to tell him.
Rest easy, Dave. And thanks, mate. You made more of a difference than you ever knew.
I’m really sorry to learn about the passing of David, my condolences. I have been trying to locate David for many years. We worked together in the late 60s, and also played soccer for the office team. The last I heard he was working for Sun Alliance in Wolverhampton, and I had no idea he had moved to Canada. Brilliants man, so sorry I’m too late.
My dear friend you are missed.