Winnetka Obituary: Daniel Garrison, 81

Daniel J. Garrison 81, of Winnetka, IL passed away on March 6th, 2022. Dan was born in 1940 in Detroit to wonderful parents, Jack & Betty (Dickmann) Garrison and was the oldest of 10 children. Dan was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Garry and many in-laws, whom he considered family, including Eileen and Jim Golden, Leah Garrison, Sheila Garrison, Ray Bentley and Bill Kurz. Dan is survived by his wife Mary H. (Krings) Garrison, sons Greg (Nic), Marc (Aimée) and Matt (Lisa) Garrison, grandchildren Savannah, Alexa, Peter, Amelia, Riley and Reese Garrison, and siblings Mike, Greg, Rick, Jerry, Judy, Vicki, Cheryl and Roxanne, as well as dozens of nieces and nephews. Dan loved them all. He will be greatly missed.

Dan grew up in a house full of activity; siblings that ranged over 19 years, countless pets and a constant flow of friends and events, including the annual Christmas Eve open house and his mother’s famous brisket recipe. Dan’s upbringing taught him a spirit of generosity and the value of hard work that defined who he was. Dan married the love of his life, Mary in 1963, and they were married for over 58 years. They are an example of true love to all who knew them. Dan and Mary lived a wonderful, supportive, and adventurous life together, moving often as Dan advanced in his career. They started in the tight knit communities of Webster Groves/Glendale near St. Louis, and lived in Battle Creek, Saginaw, Palatine, Wilmette, St. Louis (again), Cleveland, Lake Forest, Honolulu and then Winnetka since 1986. A constant in all of these places were homes filled with love, family and many old and new friends.

Dan was very active at Saints Faith, Hope & Charity Parish for many years, where he attended Mass and rosary daily and participated weekly in the men’s prayer group. He was an advocate of the value of life for all, especially for the Children of Misericordia, home to his nephew Jack. For 20 years he was a constant weekly presence at the St. Stanislaus Soup Kitchen in Ukrainian Village, something he strongly believed in supporting. He served for years on the Board of the United Way of Metro Chicago.

He was a graduate of Christian Brothers High School and St. Louis University. Dan received his Masters in Retailing from NYU. At the age of 56, after retiring, he attended DePaul Law School and obtained his law degree and license, something he had wanted to do when he was younger.

He enjoyed a 33-year career at Sears Roebuck & Co, starting on the loading dock and going on to serve on the executive committee and leading the Chicago group of retail stores. Chicago was the largest merchandise group in the country with 75+ stores in 3 states and 40,000 employees. Dan retired as an Executive Vice President of Sears after having developed Sears’ new Head Quarters in Hoffman Estates which implemented a ground-breaking concept known as “open office”. Other notable assignments included managing Sears International, where he frequently traveled abroad, at one point helping a Sears employee and family escape the Noriega regime. Dan managed the group of Hawaii Sears stores, where he turned a lagging group of stores into the most profitable group of retail units in the country. Most importantly, he brought his family on an adventure which shaped all of their lives.

Dan was a self-made man who differentiated himself through determination and hard work, often arriving at the office at 5am and famously leaving voice messages for employees before they would arrive. Dan never said “no” and was relied on by family, co-workers, and neighbors for countless acts of help. His defining characteristic was an unshakable sense of integrity and selflessness, whether it was convenient or not.. Dan’s pride and joy were his wife, children and grandchildren, and he measured his success not by material things but by helping others. Dan met all challenges with a deep faith, and although he suffered with health challenges late in life,

he never complained and responded with incredible strength, often referring to setbacks as blessings.

“If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for the one who believes.” Mark 9:23

Visitation & Celebration of Life is at Saints Faith, Hope and Charity Church in Winnetka on Saturday, March 19th, 2022. Visitation is at 9:30am and Mass will begin at 10:30am.

A light lunch will follow immediately after the Mass in the Parish Hall.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Misericordia Home Foundation

This obituary was produced by the Garrison family. The views expressed here are the author's own.