Amos Garrison

1925 - 2021

Amos Garrison
January 16, 1925 - November 6, 2021
Boise, Idaho - Amos I. Garrison Jr. was born on January 16, 1925 in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio and passed away on November 6, 2021 at his home in Boise, Idaho. He was the middle child of five children of Amos I. Garrison and Lillie D. (Adams) Garrison. Soon after his graduation from Vinton County High School in McArthur, Ohio in 1943 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He graduated flight school and piloted B-25 medium bombers. After World War II he remained in the Air Force Reserves until 1949.
On June 11, 1949 he married the love of his life: Ruth Bumgarner in Columbus, Ohio. They raised a son and a daughter. Amos is survived by his wife Ruth, son Paul (Gale) Garrison, Stoughton, Wisconsin; daughter Carol Garrison (Nicole Leonard), Boise, Idaho; grandchildren Jackson Garrison, Montgomery, Alabama; Leah Garrison, Madison, Wisconsin and two sisters-in-law along with numerous nieces and nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Jackson, Porter, Paul, Robert, and sister Jean.
He graduated from Ohio State University in 1949 and was employed by the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His first posting was in Marietta, Ohio as a soil conservationist. He received many advancements which required moves to Fremont, Ohio; Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania; Bozeman, Montana; Denver, Colorado; and Boise, Idaho where he was the State Conservationist. He retired in 1980 and lived the remainder of his life in Boise.
Amos loved flying and piloted his own planes into to his 90s. He was an avid member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and frequently flew to Wisconsin to attend their annual convention. In retirement he helped build an experimental airplane which was shown at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He loved to take other people flying and gave 307 kids rides as part of the EAA Young Eagles program.
He loved the outdoors, loved camping with his family, and was a lifelong fisherman and hunter. He was an avid birder and gardener and loved camping. Following retirement, he frequently travelled overseas with Ruth. Amos spent a life time contributing to the community in his profession as well as by being a long-time member of Kiwanis. He also contributed to building many homes with Habitat for Humanity. He was a member of Cathedral of the Rockies for 45 years and loved singing with the Cathedral Choir until three years ago. He and Ruth loved music and theater and had season passes for the Boise Philharmonic, Boise Baroque, and Boise Little Theater for many years.
In April, Amos was placed on hospice due to congestive heart failure and was cared for at home by family and the loving, dedicated healers of St. Luke's Hospice.
A memorial service will be held at the Cathedral of the Rockies, 717 N. 11th St., Boise, Idaho (208) 343-7511 on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Music Ministry at the Cathedral of the Rockies or online at Give Online | Cathedral of the Rockies | Boise Idaho. Select "Donate here to the Downtown Campus", Memorials and note "Music Ministry-Amos Garrison in the memo field.