James L. Garrison

JAMES L. GARRISON James Leroy Garrison passed away at Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez on June 27, 2010. He had been ill for several years. He was born Oct. 26, 1931, in Colorado Springs, Colo., to William Hofer and Gladys Chapin Hofer, who passed away shortly after his birth. He was adopted by family members, Leo S. Garrison and Olive J. Swallow Garrison, of Osborne, Kan., and was raised there. He graduated from Fort Hays State College and spent his professional life as a bank executive in Kansas and Washington. On Oct. 4, 1957, he married Alice Helen Lebo. They moved to Cortez in 1999 to be near family. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the summer of 2007 in Cortez, with all their children and most of their grandchildren in attendance. Jim was an expert birder and naturalist. He enjoyed history, fishing, hunting, geology and other outdoor pursuits, all of them in the company of his children and grandchildren. He volunteered for many years as a youth baseball coach and Boy Scout leader. He was a member of the Osborne United Church of Christ, a Lion and an Elk, and served on many volunteer boards. He is survived by his wife, Alice, of the home in Cortez; four children, Suzy Meyer and husband Marc, Cortez; Jennifer Sellman, Rio Vista, Calif.; Maj. David Garrison and wife Joy, Columbus, Miss.; and Dennis Garrison, Paonia, Colo.; by nine grandchildren: Jacob Meyer, Fort Collins, Colo.; Katie Meyer, Denver; Heather Sellman, Baltimore, Md., Tiffany Sellman, Rio Vista, Calif.; Melanie Johnson, Pensacola, Fla.; Daniel McTaggart, Rio Vista, Calif.; Patricia Hanson Mills, Columbus, Miss.; Deborah Arnett, Tucson, Ariz.; Thomas Garrison, Columbus, Miss.; and one great-granddaughter, Bethany Sellman, Rio Vista, Calif. He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings. A memorial service will be held at the Montezuma Valley Presbyterian Church at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 1. His ashes will be scattered in Osborne, Kans., at a later time. Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Cortez Public Library or to the Osborne County Genealogical and Historical Society. The family requests that no flowers be sent.