Garrett M. Harper, 25, passed away on Sunday, July 5, 2020 and our hearts are broken forever. Just a few days before he died, he asked his closest family — Aunt Candice (Boehm), Uncle Alan Peterson and cousins Graham and Alex — how they would describe him. So, Garrett — our beautiful, precious boy — here is how we would describe you … fiercely loyal, honest, handsome, strong, a heart of gold, generous to a fault and a gifted craftsman (he was a master interior trim carpenter who was fast and accurate). Mechanically talented — he could dismantle a fishing reel with micro bearings and pins to fix a rough spot in the winding. He was meticulously exact in his measurements of people, things, and the world around him and easily irritated by incompetence, exaggeration or lack of integrity of any kind.
He loved good food, hated his Aunt’s homemade pizza, grilled steaks to perfection, had an unbelievable capacity to consume sugar filled goodies, and couldn’t resist Skittles, Twizzlers and Werther’s hard candy. A passionate duck and goose hunter who perfected goose calling after what felt like thousands of hours practicing inside our home and endlessly researching the perfect decoy spread. As much as he enjoyed the waterfowl season, it was nothing compared to his love for Smallmouth Bass fishing. Endless hours were spent with his cousin Lake Boehm from babies up to men fishing in one form or another. Wading or floating Sugar Creek and canoeing all of the local area Smallmouth waters with only the best fishing gear — after spending the winter dry casting to get the perfect placement!
Garrett was a natural born outdoorsman and teacher — as his student you had to pay very close attention and be worthy of the teacher (he could not stand his student being distracted) but he loved to teach his cousins, whether they wanted to learn or not, how to sharpen a knife, fish, cast, blow a game call, make a snare, and shoot trap. He loved fine things like Damascus steel in hand made knives and a well-made axe handle, accurate storytelling, and NOT taking pictures of the Smallmouth he caught and carefully released. A hilarious and irreverent sense of humor sometimes landed inappropriately in a room but never thwarted his efforts to make someone laugh. He loved talking smack and trying to get the dirt on whatever was going down at the moment and would create entertainment by asking if anyone knew any fun facts.
More than the funny times though, we will miss all of the conversations we had about the important things in life — God, his plans, his dreams, and how he was going to take care of us when we were old. A tender-hearted man with compassion and love for those who couldn’t speak for themselves, as evidenced by his two very special friends, Travis and Kelly. There is not enough space in this little bit of paper to capture the incredible, loving, beautiful man that Garrett was. In summation I can only say that we will miss him every single day for the rest of our lives and if love could bring him back, he would be sitting right here with me today.
Garrett also leaves behind his Nana and Poppy — John and Darlene Boehm. The special memories of the Canadian fishing trips will be held close — eating 5 pounds of maple fudge or catching 5-pound walleyes. Always a buddy, whether hunting, fishing, getting his hair cut in Nana’s barber shop, eating baked chicken and pie, or talking about Travis and Kelly.
Uncle John Boehm and Aunt Jen (Helms) — ice fishing and Canadian trips with Lake, conventions, and Aunt Jen laboring to keep the candy dish full and pop stocked when Garrett was around.
Cousin Lake Boehm — 3 months younger than Garrett, they were friends since babyhood. Together they would get up at 2 a.m. to go duck hunting in some miserable swamp somewhere, enjoyed copious amounts of Little Mexico takeout together, spent hundreds if not thousands of hours chasing their favorite game fish, the Smallmouth Bass on Sugar Creek, and shared so many more special and personal moments in the solitude nature provided that words would not satisfy to tell about.
Aunt Melissa (Boehm), Uncle Kenny Byler, and cousins Forrest, Owen and Brooklyn who will miss the pure pleasure of being in his presence every chance they got to simply hear him talk and laugh. Garrett will always be remembered for being loyal and his pride and dedication to his work, a job he didn’t choose but when it was thrust into his hands, like everything else, he mastered it.
Our family is very grateful for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy Boyd and Deputy Kirby who were sent from God to help us that awful day. We are truly thankful for all of the outpouring of care and compassion from others — it does matter.
Lastly, please be kind, share your love, reach out, listen. You don’t know the wounds in someone’s heart that is walking right next to you.
Respectfully, please do not send flowers — Garrett really didn’t care for any kind of floral arrangements. Instead, please donate to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Attn. Sheriff Needham, 600 Memorial Drive, Crawfordsville IN 47933. In the note, please put “In Memory of Garrett Harper.”
