Major Retired William Everett Garrison Sr., 82, was born in Lebanon, Missouri on October 28, 1939. He was the son of Leroy and Dorothy (Terry) Garrison. He passed away on Monday, November 29, 2021.

He graduated from high school in Des Moines, Iowa in 1956. He then joined the Army and was a helicopter mechanic, stationed at Fort Riley where he met his wife Lois (Chestnut) Garrison. They married April 14, 1961 in Oak Hill, Kansas. He attended flight school in Ft. Rucker, Alabama and retired, after 20 years, from the Army as a Senior Army Aviator with a distinguished career including service in Vietnam with two bronze stars and a silver star. He also earned a national defense service medal, armed forces reserve medal, and an air medal awarded for meritorious achievement and heroism for his aviator service. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Park College in the Kansas City area. After he retired from the military, he was an instructor at Kansas Technical Institute and instrumental in starting the flight program. The college eventually became KSU-Salina. He was an instructor for A & P mechanics, and a flight instructor for fixed wing and rotor wing aircraft. During the summers he would fly air tours in Branson, Missouri. He also was a crop duster and achieved the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award presented in 2014 for 50 years of accident-free flight.

He and Lois resided in the Longford area for over 40 years. To this union were born five children, William Everett Garrison Jr. (Bobbie Strawder) from Hutchinson, Kansas, Richard J. Garrison (Karen Atchison) from Bennington, Kansas, Ronald E. Garrison (Wendy Emig) from Wichita, Kansas, John E. Garrison (Ann Wisinger) from Salina, Kansas. and Debra M. (Garrison) Lyne (Brad Lyne) from Westfall, Kansas.

He is survived by his wife, children, eleven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Harry Garrison from Jefferson City, Missouri., Gary Garrison (Kay) from Rogersville, Missouri and multiple nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Leroy and Dorothy Garrison, his brother, Leroy Garrison Jr., his sister, Ellen Mae Garrison, and two sisters-in-law, Deanna Garrison and Janet Garrison.

Family is requesting no flowers to be sent, donations can be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, – stjude.org/donatetoday

Services to be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, December 11th at Rose Meron Cemetery, 645 Frontier Road, Clay Center, Kansas 67432.