William ‘Bill’ Garrison: April 21, 1927 - Sept. 7, 2019

William Lloyd “Bill” Garrison passed away Sept. 7, 2019 after an extended illness.

He was born on April 21, 1927 in Nanaimo, British Columbia. He was the fifth son of Mabel and Porter Garrison and grew up around his father’s logging camps.

When he was a freshman in high school, the family moved back to Washington state. First to Skykomish, in the Cascade foothills, then Camano Island, where they joined extended family that had been loggers and pioneers since the 1880s.

Dad was a natural athlete. He excelled at basketball, football and track. He was recently honored with his induction to the Stanwood/Camano School District Sports Hall of Fame. High school was interrupted by his service to the U.S. Navy, in which he trained as an aerial gunner in B-25s and PBYs — the war ended before he was shipped out. He returned to Camano and finished school while working with his dad and brothers in the Garrison logging company. He loved to point out the roads he built during that time, including Beach Drive that turns off East Camano Drive and winds down to the beach, because he thought it would look nice to drive through the trees.

He attended Western Washington University and earned a BA in teaching and, while teaching for four years, completed further programs at Western and the University of Washington to earn his principal credentials.

His career went from the classroom to administration while still teaching kids to drive and coaching basketball. He held many positions in the Oak Harbor School District for 23 years before moving to the Battle Ground School District and, eventually, working for the Shoreline School District while commuting from Camano.

During the second half of his career, he specialized in updating existing schools and the construction of new schools.

Community involvement was always a top priority as he spent 11 years on the Oak Harbor Planning Commission. He was a member of Kiwanis, State Building Committee Liaison and Southwest Washington Regional planning director. He served the Stanwood/Camano School District as a school board member; as Camano Country Club president, and as a volunteer for CCC Beach committee for many years. He was a member of Oak Harbor Lutheran Church, Bethel Lutheran in Brush Prairie, Wash., and Camano Lutheran.

Dad was always the first one to help a neighbor or friend. With skills from logging to mechanical, he could fix just about any problem!

He also loved golfing, annual hunting trips and watching all sports. He managed all of this while raising six kids.

He is survived by five of his children, five grandchildren, two great grandchildren and many extended family and friends. He will be missed by all that knew him.

Arrangements under the direction of Gilbertson Funeral Home, Stanwood.