Obituary of William J. Garrett

William J. (Bill) Garrett of Endicott, died Monday evening, February 1, 2016 at the age of 90. He was predeceased by his parents, John and Gladys Garrett, and his wife, Sara. Bill is survived by a daughter, Deborah Shofkom and Mark Bennett of Whitney Point, a son William Garrett of Princeton Junction, New Jersey; a grandson, Samuel Mark Price of Endicott; and a musical friend, Marsha Doupe. After graduating high school, he served in the Army Transportation Corps during World War II. Upon his return from service duty, he moved to New York to join family members. Bill attended schools in Ithaca, Syracuse and Valpariso Indiana, where he graduated from Valpariso Technical Institute. He worked for Cornell University as a Research Technician and then joined IBM and worked for 29 years as an Electrical Engineer. He was a 25 Year Club member at IBM. Bill had a number of hobbies, one being designing and building special tools for his workshop and Christmas tree business. Another area of interest was music. Bill played the saxophone and was active with the Maine community band and the Owego community band (Royal Blues) for many years. Bill was a member of Central United Methodist Church where he was an active participant in services and events. Funeral and Interment services will be held on Friday at 2:00 p.m. from the Central United Methodist Church, 17 Nanticoke Ave., Endicott. The Rev. Dr. Michelle Bogue-Trost, Pastor of his church will officiate. Burial will be in Hope Cemetery, Newark Valley in the spring. The family will receive friends at the church Friday from 1:00 p.m. until service time at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the memorial fund of the Central United Methodist Church.