Thomas N. Garnish, 42
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Thomas Nathan Garnish, 42, of Cobbleview Road, died peacefully at home on Saturday morning, May 11, 2013. He fought a long and valiant battle with pulmonary fibrosis.
Born on May 19, 1970, the ninth child of DeLories Tezak Garnish of Williamstown and the late Paul F. Garnish, he attended public schools and graduated from Mount Greylock Regional High School in 1989. After a bone-marrow transplant in 1993 that halted the Hodgkins disease diagnosed when he was 19, he lived cancer-free for many years and was able to enjoy life.
His love of the outdoors brought him to study resource management at Sterling College in Craftsbury, Vt., from which he graduated in 1995. He also studied boat building at The Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design in Arundel, Maine. His love of the outdoors, nature, and wildlife lasted his entire life.
Mr. Garnish enjoyed working for many years at Max BMW in Troy, NY, first as a certified Master BMW motorcycle technician and later, after his health no longer allowed him to move the bikes, in the parts department. He forged strong bonds with his workmates, who became his second family.
He was very active in all kinds of sports, from running cross country in high school, to cross-country skiing and cycling. When skateboarding first came onto the scene, he jumped in and loved the thrill of the sport. Besides enjoying boats and being on the water, he was an avid snowboarder and loved to ride with his good friends and his brothers, and would travel to experience different mountain terrain. He was an intrepid mountain biker, and shared the trails and a good laugh with more friends and family. Golfing was always more fun when Mr. Garnish was playing, said friends, because he never took himself too seriously. Another place he could be found was on his BMW motorcycle at rallies or riding along country roads with his good friends and family members. His love of motorcycles was nurtured first by his older brothers, who all had bikes at one point, and some still do.
Throughout his life, he was grateful for many lifelong, very close friends. He was always in a good mood, ready to lend a helping hand, and had a quick, dry wit like his father. He was easy going, yet energetic. His sensitive nature was obvious, just under the surface, yet readily accessible.
Family was very important to him, and he will be greatly missed by his five brothers and three sisters. His many
nieces and nephews always enjoyed his company at family gatherings, as did all of his relatives far and near.
He was a communicant of the Parish of Sts. Patrick and Raphael Parish. He always wore his LiveStrong bracelet and believed in the mission of the Livestrong Foundation.
Besides his mother, who cared for him over the last months of his life, he leaves five brothers, Paul Garnish, the oldest, and his wife, Libby, of Williamstown, and his family, Fred Garnish of Portland, Ore., and his children, John Garnish and his wife, Holly, and their family, of Pittsford, N.Y., James Garnish and his wife, Emily, and their daughter of Seattle and Matthew and his wife, Annie, and their children, of Hankins, N.Y.; three sisters, Terese Garnish Holzthum and her husband, Tom, and their three girls, of Rocky Hill, Conn., Mary Garnish Bauman and her husband, Alan, of Pittsfield and Laura Garnish and her partner, Mark, of Mill Valley, Calif., and her two boys; many aunts, uncles, and cousins who will miss him dearly and his beloved cat, Myrtle.
FUNERAL NOTICE — The Funeral Mass for Mr. Garnish will be Friday, May 17, at 11 a.m. from St. Patrick's Church, 63 Southworth St., celebrated by the Rev. Wayne C. Biernat. There will be a private memorial at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Livestrong Foundation in Tom's memory through the funeral home.
Calling hours will be Thursday, May 16, from 4 to 7 at Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams.