Garry Davison

When you try to define the sort of person Garry E. Davison was to his family and friends, you imagine someone who is an all around good person, who loves his life and his family, and always makes himself available when he is needed. He was a man who desired little and was quite content spending time in his garage, tinkering on a car or working on a new idea he came up with. Garry was certainly a dedicated man with many skills, but nothing was more important to him than being a good husband, father and grandfather to the people who brought his life immeasurable joy.

In 1949, while the country was recovering from the effects of World War II, Harry S. Truman was elected the 33rd President of the United States, and George Orwell published his infamous novel “1984.” For Lewis Davison and his wife, Shirley (Harrington), of Grand Rapids, Michigan, it was a year of great celebration for their family as they welcomed the birth of their first child, son Garry Eugene Davison, on July 19, 1949. Their home would eventually be a bustling household with nine children.

Garry led a typical childhood of the time. His family moved around Grand Rapids quite a bit, staying mostly on the northwest and southwest sides of town. Garry attended the area schools, and spent much of his leisure time outdoors, and like most boys, finding his fair share of mischief. As a teenager, Garry got a job working at a gas station, and it was here that he found his passion for working on cars. In fact, he took automotive classes in college and became a Mechanic. Garry started his career in the auto industry, repairing trucks at Taber & Ottenweis for several years, before becoming a Mechanic at Good GMC, He later retired from R and R Fire Truck Repair Co.

During this time, Garry met and married his first wife, Linda, and they had three children together. However, this marriage eventually ended, and he married again, and they had a daughter. In time, this relationship also ended, but third time was a charm for Garry when he met Ruth Collins, and they were soon married. Ruth brought more than just her love into Garry’s life though, as she had children of her own – all of which Garry welcomed into their family.

Garry always worked hard to provide for his family. Yet, he also had an adventurous spirit, and many of his hobbies involved that side of his personality. Although he could work in his garage for hours on in, he loved being outdoors, taking his kids on dirt bike rides, and hunting and fishing with his son, Jeff. For many years, Garry looked forward to their hunting trip to his brother-in-law’s cabin in Northern Ontario. He and Ruth also enjoyed camping in tents, and their pontoon boat was always right behind to do some fishing. Garry and his son, Jeff, fished together a lot too, and they were recently working on making add-ons for the boat to enhance their fishing experience. They knew it was probably cheaper to buy what they wanted, but the time together “fabricating their ideas” was priceless! Garry truly treasured the time he and his grandson, Christopher, hung out together in his “man cave,” where many “good talks” were had. He couldn't refuse the requests by Nakhia to go to the store.

Once retired, Garry had time to do whatever he wanted – he often said “I got nothing better to do.” He enjoyed quiet naps during the day, watching the Discover and Military Channels and catching a good action movie or Detroit Lions football game. He did most of the cooking and grocery shopping (which Ruth appreciated), and like clockwork, every night before bed, Garry had a piece of cake or pie with a glass of cold milk, perhaps to ensure he had sweet dreams. Being a jack-of-all-trades, Garry was only too happy to help family out with projects they were working on. In their quieter moments, Garry and Ruth enjoyed sitting in the yard, talking about what was still on their “bucket lists” that they could look forward too. Garry wasn’t one who needed to be in a big group of people, but rather enjoyed one-on-one conversation. He was known to have a short tolerance for people sometimes, and once someone got on his bad side, there was no getting off it. Nevertheless, his friendly smile and great sense of humor always had a way of brightening someone’s day.

Without warning, Garry was brought to the hospital last week and sadly passed away just a few days later on Monday, July 1, 2013. He will be greatly missed.

Garry was preceded in death by his father, Lewis Davison, and his siblings, Steve and Scott Davison. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; his children (and grandchildren): Jeff and Renee Davison (Amber, Hailey), Teresa Davison (Joe, Ajay, Becky), Josh Davison, Tiffany and Perry Blake (Andrew, Cayden), Sonya and Ron Mourer (Christopher, Logan, Jadea), Audrey and Terry Knuppenburg (Rhyan), David McCormick (Brenden, Aliyah), Amanda and Jesse Crowley (Dakota, Jacob), Stacy McCormick (Nakhia); 16 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter, Amaya; his mother, Shirley Lazarski; brothers and sisters: Jim Davison, Renee (Scott) Byle, Christy (Roger) Balcer, Kelly Davison, John Dennis; sister-in-law Terry Storey; and several nieces and nephews.

A service to remember Garry's life will be held on Saturday, July 6, at 2 p.m. at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Van Strien Creston Chapel, where friends may visit with his family from noon until the time of the service. To share a memory or sign the online guest book, please visit www.lifestorynet.com.