Mr. Van Dee Garrison

Mr. Van Dee Garrison, age 71, passed away on Monday, June 5, 2023 at Wellstar Tranquility at Cobb.
Van was born in Blackfoot, Idaho where he lived with his parents, Russel Joseph Garrison and Inez Effie Morris. At that time, he was the youngest of three children. His parents separated, and his mother moved back home with the children to Tacoma, Washington where she would meet and marry the man Van knew as his dad, David William Hendrix. Inez and David would go on to have five more children. Van loved all of his siblings Carol, Clifford (Butch), Nancy, Ruth, William, Susan, and Michael, and they all filled their childhood home with love and laughter.
In his early days, Van would spend time fishing and hunting with his dad and brothers. There was also time spent going to baseball games with his siblings to cheer on the Tacoma Rainiers. Bike rides with his younger siblings riding on the handlebars and/or back of the bike just for fun. Van's work ethic was instilled in him during these formative years as a child. The children would often do farm work in order to help earn money to support the family. Everyone worked together to help each other, and Van always did his part to aid his family.
Van received his draft papers for the Vietnam War while he was in boot camp. He had opted to join the Army to serve rather than wait for his draft number to come up. His service in the military provided him with the skills that would serve him well in beginning his adult life outside of the military. Along with a new skillset, Van left the service with some lifelong friendships forged in the service of our country. Having received the Army Commendation Medal for his service as an Electronic Switching Technician with the United States Army Strategic Command Signal Support Agency in Taiwan, he was able to take the skills that garnered this recognition to further his career once back in civilian life.
After his service, Van was recruited by Xerox and began a long and successful career as a service technician. He continued his hard work and honed his technical skills, achieving the position of Operational Technical Specialist where he became one of the people other technicians turned to when they couldn't solve a problem. His nickname among his team members was "the Wizard." He helped to launch and develop the technical documentation for several of Xerox's high-volume products during the 1980's and 1990's. Though during his time at Xerox, Van was focused on his career, he still found time for fun creating friendships that lasted through the end of his days.
When he relocated to Georgia, Van never thought he would find the love of his life in a hotel bar following a leisurely round of golf with friends, but that is exactly what happened. He met Nancy Lee Darnell that night and later her son Steven. Within a few months, they were happily married, and Van adopted Steven as his son. Two years later, the couple had a daughter, Natalie. Anyone that knew Van and Nancy could see how much they loved each other. Despite the fact that they both worked for portions of their marriage, they still found time for family, friends, and each other. They could often be found slow dancing in the living room to "their song." Van made sacrifices to ensure the care of his children and for their college educations to be paid for. He was a devoted husband to the very end when Nancy passed in 2009.
In the mid 1990's Van was offered an option to take an early retirement package from Xerox or to move the family to Rochester, New York. He opted for the early retirement package to spend time with his wife and children and ponder his next career move. He then began his next endeavor to build Service Technologies. He started out as the only technician, growing into his position as Vice President of Service over a fleet of technicians serving the high-volume copier needs for the greater Atlanta area until the company was acquired in 2017. It was in this capacity that Van continued to make more friendships to carry him along his path on this Earth.
Even in his retirement following the acquisition of Service Technologies, Van still couldn't settle into retirement without work. He maintained technical service on an account as a side business and continued to work on his cars and trucks. There are still parts to the cars in boxes waiting for him to install them into their respective vehicles. He had plans. He never let his battle with his illness keep him down. He always seemed to bounce back and continue living life to the fullest degree possible. He was fiercely independent and loved by all that came to know him.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Inez and David, his brothers Mike and Bill, his sisters Carol and Sue, and his wife, Nancy.
He is survived by his brother Butch, his sisters Nancy and Ruth, his two children, Steven and Natalie, and many nieces and nephews.
Van did not wish for a formal service, but we ask all who knew him to share fond memories and keep him in their hearts.
Benson Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mr. Van Dee Garrison.
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