I was searching stats on the computer and unexpectedly came across the Redford Union class of 1970 memorials for those who have passed.  I was surprised to find that one of my best friends, Leo Garrett, had passed away a year ago at age 67.  What a shock since Leo was the first friend that I had lost.  I had been thinking about him lately and was going to find his phone number and call him since it had been many years since we last talked.  Leo was living in Phoenix and came back to Detroit area in 1992 when he was 50, which was the last time I saw him.

Leo was a great friend and had an unbelievable sense of humor and quick wit, and always had good jokes to tell that made us laugh. He sat behind me in Ms. Druding's english class and continued to tell jokes that made me laugh and got me in trouble. Leo could also do several good impersonations and was good at talking with various accents.  He used to impersonate one of our friends, Ernie, that caused us to roll on the floor.

Leo became an avid sailor and we used to go sailing with his Sunfish on Cass Lake during summers while in college.  I will never forget the 1st time in the middle of the lake, Leo revealed that he had stowed away some beers and we drank them all - no, we were not 21 yet and it was illegal to have beer in the state park - those were the days my friend! 

We were roommates in Akers Hall at Michigan State University for our 1st two years and then Leo decided to stay in dorm so he did not have to cook meals, so I moved into an apartment with friends from the dorm.

I was married in 1976 while going to U of T graduate school in Austin, Texas and came back to Michigan with my wife Tamar for Leo's and Lorraine's wedding in 1977.  At the rehearsal dinner, both Leo and me had tan suits with vests and Lorraine and Tamar both had black evening dresses (see photo attached).  What was the probability that we would unknowingly dress identical?  Leo was lucky to have found Lorraine.

On a business trip to Los Angeles in the summer of 1983, I stopped over in Phoenix to visit Leo and Lorraine.  Leo arranged for us to go tubing down the Salt River, which was an unbelievable great time.  We had a separate inner tube that held the cooler with beers and delicious cookies baked by Lorraine.  I remember Leo packing 24 beers for the 4-hour trip.  I said Leo, we are not in college any longer, we are now 31 so how can we drink that much beer.  Leo reluctantly took 6 beers out. It was 112 degrees when we launched the inner tubes into the cold water.  However, due to evaporative cooling, the temperature had to be 75 degrees in the envelope of air above the water (it was like we were in an air conditioned room).  The scenary was spectacular with canyon walls that had to be 1000 feet tall.  Midway through the tubing, I asked Leo for another beer, and then he said "Fox there are no more" and he said "I knew taking the 6 beers out of the cooler was a mistake."  Leo was a great salesman, so he negotiated a trade of some of Lorraine's cookies for beers from other tubers that got us through the trip.

Leo sent photos at Christmas of the kids with funny captions on the back.  After his daughter Gracie was born, he sent a photo of him with a chef's hat and apron on in the kitchen next to the oven while holding a serving platter with his newborn on it and the caption read "just popped Gracie out of the oven."  When Gracie was 2 years old, he sent a photo of her standing in the kitchen looking around the corner of a cabinet - the caption read "Told Gracie Christmas was just around the corner."

Leo's father died young at 55 from a heart attack so Leo decided to make sure to enjoy life as long as he could.  Although he only lived to 67. I can attest that he lived life with gusto and was always laughing and making other people laugh.     

I will miss him until I see him again in Heaven when we both will have our new 30-year old everlasting and ever young bodies.  We will do another tubing trip then and will back plenty of beer so we won't run out!

Your buddy, Tim Fox.