Dr. W. Gene Garrett

PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA ? Dr. W. Gene Garrett, 77 of Plymouth, Minnesota and formerly of Mason City died Sunday, July 17, 2005 at the Hillcrest Care Center in Wayzata, Minnesota. Funeral services for Dr. Garrett will be held at 10 AM, Friday, July 22, 2005 at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 North Pennsylvania Avenue with Rev. Terry Hamitlon - Poore of First Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment will be in the Dumont Cemetery, Dumont, Iowa. Visitation will be from 4 ? 7 PM on Thursday at Major Erickson Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to the Boy Scouts of America ? Winnebago Council. On July 17, 2005, after a struggle of more than fifteen years, Dr. Wilmer Gene Garrett finally succumbed to complications of Parkinson?s Disease. Gene was born on his grandparents? farm in Dumont, Iowa on May 1, 1928, the son of Ward C. and Edith (Meehan) Garrett. After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1946 he served for two years as a corpsman at the U.S. Navy Hospital in San Diego, California. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 1951 and graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1955. Gene received training in pediatrics at the Children?s Hospital in Denver, Colorado, and then practiced pediatrics in Bismarck, North Dakota from 1958-71. While in Bismarck he was active as a member of First Presbyterian Church, serving as Director of Children?s Education, Deacon and ordained Ruling Elder. Gene was a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Bismarck YMCA. In 1971, Gene moved to Mason City where he practiced at the Park Clinic until 1978. He was a founding partner of the Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic in 1978 and practiced there until 1990. During his time in practice he also served as President of the Cerro Gordo Medical Society and President of the Medical Staff of Mercy Medical Center. Overall, he practiced pediatrics for 32 years. Known simply as ?Doc? to a generation of Boy Scouts in Northern Iowa, Gene served as Scoutmaster of Troop 212 at Roosevelt School for fourteen years. He received the Eagle Scout Award as a boy in 1944, as did his four sons and over 70 other scouts during his tenure as Scoutmaster. Gene received training in the Wood Badge, was a Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow and was awarded the Silver Beaver, the highest honor given to volunteer scouters. On August 4, 1951 he married Valera P. McCumber. Val and Gene shared almost 54 years together as devoted partners. They have four sons and seven grandchildren. Dr. Kevin Garrett (and Dr. Cheryl McChesney) and their children Nathan and Rachel reside in Appleton, Wisconsin. Mark Garrett (and Jill Jensen) reside in Plymouth, Minnesota. Michael Garrett (and Angela) and their children, Benjamin and Olivia reside in Roseville, Minnesota. David Garrett (and Andrea) and their children, Tyler, Anna and Haley reside in Stillwater, Minnesota. In addition to his parents, Gene was preceded in death by his sister, Beverly. In lieu of flowers memorials may be given to the Boy Scouts of America ? Winnebago Council.

Visitation:
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue on July 21, 2005 (map/driving directions) 4:00 PM to 4:00 PM at 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue on July 19, 2005 (map/driving directions)

Service:
10:00 AM at 111 North Pennsylvania Avenue on July 22, 2005 (map/driving directions)