Harold Edward Garrison Jr. “Pete”
On February 16, 2022, Harold Edward Garrison Jr. “Pete,” loving husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, and grandfather, passed away peacefully in Anchorage, Alaska after a long courageous battle against metastatic colon cancer while surrounded by family.
Pete was born on August 28, 1949, at Dependents Hospital U.S. Navy Rural Bellflower-Lakewood in Los Angeles, California to Harold Sr. and Myrtle Garrison (Ivanoff).
Pete graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High School in 1968 and had a few longstanding state records in the Native Youth Olympics. Pete also had some college credits at Sheldon Jackson college in Sitka, Alaska. He had a 39-year and10-month long career with the National Weather Service. He followed in his mother’s footsteps with a meteorologist career. Pete and his family resided in the rural communities of Nome and Cold Bay until finally settling down in Bethel, Alaska as NWS Official in Charge. After retiring with NWS, he grew restless and started new endeavors with Yute Air as a cargo agent and Yukon Kuskokwim Health Cooperation as a vaccine distributor. He made many new friends and enjoyed working with Yute and YKHC.
While working for the NWS Pete befriended a Federal Aviation Administration employee, Elias Venes, who lived on the FAA compound in Bethel, Alaska. Elias had ten beautiful girls, one of which Pete fell in love with and married. He was known to tell people about his loving wife Ingie, “This is number 4 of 10, I don't know how I got to be so lucky.”
Pete was a proud Alaska Native who loved to hunt, fish and provide for his family. He was known to be a die-hard true -blue and gold Bethel Regional High School Warrior fan who cheered hard for his children, grandchildren and all their teammates. He was well known for his sense of humor, telling all kinds of jokes to family and friends. He was easy to get along with and was liked by the young and the old. He had a wealth of knowledge and always knew the jeopardy and trivia answers. Pete was seldom seen without his crossword puzzles or sudoku.
Pete is survived by his loving wife Ruth "Ingie" Garrison (Venes) of 44 years, their children Darrell Garrison and Selena (Eric) Petersen, grandchildren Darrell Garrison Jr., Clevon Constantine and Bryn Garrison; and his siblings John, Paul, and Margaret "Maggie" Halleran.
Pete is preceded in death by his father Harold Edward Garrison Sr., mother Myrtle Garrison (Ivanoff), paternal half-sister Sharon Jo Adams (Garrison) and brother George Garrison (deceased as infant).
Pete is also survived by many friends and family members who loved him dearly, including Crystal Garrison (Hawk), Brenda Maxwell (Tiulana) and Justin & Ashley Maxwell. Numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins from Unalakleet, Alaska and South Charleston, Ohio. And many nieces and nephews from “all over the damn place”.
Pete was cremated and will have ashes laid to rest at the Bethel Memorial Cemetery 410 Tower Road in Bethel later this spring and ashes spread at Pete & Ingie’s Fish Camp outside of Bethel and at the Unalakleet Climbing Tree later this summer as he wished. Pete stated that the wind will bring him back home again.
