Kirk Alan Garrison

Kirk Alan Garrison was born July 12th, 1962, in Burlington, Iowa to Roy Dale Garrison and Judith Lynn Richardson. In 1963, they moved to Taylorsville, Utah and lived there until 1969. Then, they moved to Astoria, Oregon where they lived on a small farm in Olney for the

remainder of his childhood.

 

Kirk loved growing up on a farm. His days were filled with fishing, hunting, trapping and pretty much any other outdoor activity. As a teenager, he also loved to work on old cars and ride dirt bikes.

 

He attended Brigham Young University for his bachelor’s degree in English and Near Eastern Studies and Portland State University for his master’s degree in history.

 

Kirk served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the California, San

Diego Mission from 1981 to 1983.

 

Kirk married Gina Ann Summers on August 11, 1994, in the Salt Lake Temple. They moved to St. Helens, Oregon in September of 1995 so he could finish his education. Kirk and Gina loved being in Oregon, so they stayed there for 27 years to raise their family. They had five children,

Tyler, Shannon, Evan, Lauren and Whitney. In 2020, his son Tyler was married and his daughter-in-law Carly joined the family. In 2022, he became a grandfather to his cute granddaughter Elena. She brought him a lot of joy near the end of his life.

 

Kirk was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his whole life. He loved the gospel and his Savior. He had a current temple recommend until his death, even though he has been unable to go to the temple for several years. He held many callings in the

church including Seminary Teacher, Young Men’s President, Scout Master, Gospel Doctrine Teacher, High Counselor, and Bishop.

 

Kirk had many jobs over his lifetime. He worked several building construction jobs over the years, but his main career was as an instructor at Portland Community College. He taught classes and was the department head of their Building Construction Technology program. In his

free time, he enjoyed woodworking and tending to his large garden and apple orchard.

 

In March 2017, Kirk was diagnosed with Younger-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. It was frustrating for him to not be able to do the things that he loved anymore. In the summer of 2022, Gina decided to move to Utah in order to be closer to family as his disease progressed. While his last

few years of life were difficult for both him and his family, he was very loved and well taken care of. The family is especially grateful for his hospice nurses and aides from Symbii for taking care of him during the last year of his life.

 

Kirk is survived by his wife Gina, his children Tyler (Carly), Shannon, Evan, Lauren and Whitney, his granddaughter Elena, and his siblings Mark (Leslie), Dawna (John) and Dayna (Peter).

 

He is preceded in death by his father Roy and his mother Judith.

 

Funeral Services will be held Saturday March 2, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road, Layton, Utah. Friends may visit with family prior to services on Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary.

 

Interment-Lindquist’s Memorial Park at Layton.

 

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