Marvin F. Garrett, age 87, of Brownwood passed peacefully from this life on Saturday, June 24, 2023, surrounded by his wife and children, following complications from a stroke and Parkinson’s.
A celebration of Marvin’s life will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, July 7, 2023, at the Blaylock Funeral Home Chapel, with his son Terry Garrett officiating. The family will receive friends at 10:00 am, prior to the service. A private interment will be held at Cox Cemetery in McCulloch County.
Marvin was born April 2, 1936, at Stumps Sanitarium in Brownwood to Edward & Alta Garrett of Mercury, Texas. He attended elementary school in Mercury and graduated from Rochelle High School in 1954.
Always an inquisitive person, the story was told that at the age of five Marvin tied his little red Radio Flyer wagon to his little red tricycle with a piece of rope and pulled it all over the yard, backing it into every corner, thus his ability to back a truck in later years. When he was eight years old, Marvin wanted to see how the Big Ben clock worked so he took it all apart and put it back together much to the surprise of his parents (and it worked!) Thus, his mechanic abilities began.
Marvin had a deep respect for his Granddaddy Garrett who was a Baptist preacher and Marvin was baptized as a teenager in the Colorado River with a group from Mercury Baptist Church.
Having been raised on a farm, Marvin was a hard worker helping with all the chores. Summers found him in various jobs, working on a nearby ranch he learned to ride a horse and said he got thrown off several times before he “got his seat!” One summer he drove a cotton stripper for a cousin and another time when they were building a farm to market road in front of their house, he spent hours watching the equipment operators and convinced one that he could operate the excavator. They gave him a job which was going great until he slid off into a ditch. The man didn’t get mad but showed Marvin how to use the bucket to walk it back up the other side. Lesson learned! Thus, his equipment experience began.
Upon graduation, Marvin got a job at JC Penny in Brady and after two days decided that he didn’t like wearing his Sunday clothes or working inside every day! Marvin had many jobs throughout his life including driving trucks, operating service stations, mechanic, and more. In 1970 he went to work for TXDOT as a welder and mechanic. He later became shop foreman and retired in 1996 as the District 23 Equipment Supervisor. Many may remember Marvin and Linda working every Sunday at Brownwood Automotive.
Marvin always had a project going at home. He overhauled many car engines, built a few hot rods including a 1969 Chevrolet pickup that his son ran at local drag strips. He built a fire truck, engine lifts, and enough BBQ pits made from old hot water heaters to pay for the fuel for their trip to Alaska.
Marvin met Linda Lou Gore in 1954 and they were married on June 14, 1958. They just had their 65th wedding anniversary. Marvin was drafted into the US Army in 1959 and was sent to Germany for two years, and Linda joined him for eleven months. What an experience for these two … first trip out of Texas, first airplane, ship, and train rides. Exactly one year after he returned to Texas, his Army reserve unit in Brownwood was activated and sent to Fort Carson, Colorado.
Marvin was so proud of his legacy – three children, seven grandchildren, and thirteen great grandchildren!
This family loved camping and for a few years took off for local lakes or Colorado in their 22’ camper. When Marvin and Linda retired, they hit the road graduating to bigger RV’s traveling the USA. In 2004 they bought a new motor home and became full-time RV’ers for almost eighteen years. “On The Road Again” became their motto as they went to every state (except Hawaii) and several Canadian provinces spending summers in Colorado and winters in south Texas making friends, seeing the sights, and playing Farkle.
Marvin is survived by his wife, Linda; his daughter, Anita Joann of Midland and her two sons, Tyson Richardson and wife Amanda and children, Zachary and Garrett of Fort Worth, Tyler Richardson and wife Brooke and children Aiden, Cooper, Willow and Libby of McKinney; his daughter, Alisa Joy and husband, Ron Fullington of Lake Kiowa and her children, Bryan Gandy and son Carter of Krum and daughter, Bailee Osborn and husband Chris and children, Ryder, Christian and Gabriel of Krum; his son, Terry Lynn of Brownwood and his children, Ashlee Williams and husband Shawn and their son Diezel of Angleton, Brandy Jackson and daughters Mady and Remi of Bixby, OK and J. W. Garrett of Beaumont; his niece, Kayla Ham and husband Tinker of Gatesville and their family; and his nephew, Jerry Don Sheppard and family of Roswell, NM.
If anyone would like to give a memorial gift in Marvin’s memory, please consider one of the following: the Heart of Texas Baptist Camp & Conference Center (8025 FM 2125, Brownwood, Texas 76801) or the Cox Cemetery Association (1810 10th Street, Rochelle, Texas 76872.)
Condolences for the family can be made online at www.blaylockfuneralhome.com.