Lowell Garner

Lowell Roger Garner, 83, of Phoenix, AZ died Thursday, April 25 from complications of  Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.  A tremendous father figure, he passed with his family by his side.  One of the last of his great generation, he represents the true American icon of that historical period.  Raised in Taintor, Iowa on a family farm that was lost to the Great Depression, he moved to Fort Des Moines, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, Virginia and Mary.  At the age of nine, he delivered the newspaper, including issues that announced the end of World War II and reported on the great success of the New York Yankees.  A rebel at heart, he immediately rejected that hype and instead devoted himself as a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and reveled when after so many years the Cubs ended their epic 108-year drought by winning the World Series in 2016.

He graduated from Lincoln High School, Des Moines, Iowa in 1952 and received his BA and MA degrees from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa.  It was there that he met the love of his life, Mary Sue Walker, and they were married in 1957.  He began his career in the insurance industry with The Travelers Insurance Company in Hartford, CT where their first son, James, was born.  His career with Travelers was interrupted by service in the USMC where he served as a gunner in the 1st Tank Battalion at Camp Pendleton, CA.  After returning to Travelers, he was transferred to Chicago, IL and in 1962 he joined The Medical Protective Insurance Company, Ft, Wayne, IN, as general agent for Iowa and Nebraska and the family moved to West Des Moines, Iowa where John and Diane were born.  As he travelled those states, he developed a love for the outdoors and knew the best pheasant hunting sites throughout the region.  With knowledge of every backroad, usually gravel, he frequently took both his devoted hunting dogs and enthusiastic sons on many hunting adventures that will not be forgotten.  After 20+ years of managing this territory, he opened the Company's first regional office in Albuquerque, NM.  He overcame the challenges of opening an office in a new market and allowed Medical Protective to successfully expand its coverage in the medical malpractice insurance field to the western United States.  After 37 years as a devoted agent and claims manager, he retired in 1999.  Soon after, he relocated to Phoenix, where he spent most of his later years enjoying his family, golf and hiking the foothill mountains near his home.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary Sue from Phoenix, sons James (Angell) from Denver/Shanghai and John (Carlina) from New Orleans, daughter Diane Matise (Mike) from Phoenix, and two grandsons, Jake and Luke and nieces and nephews.  His parents and sisters preceded him in death as did two nephews.

He is being cremated and the family held a private service at Resthaven/Carr-Tenney mortuary on April 28, 2019.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, December 27, 2019 at RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 9113 Kiln Delisle Rd., Pass Christian at 11:00 AM, with the visitation for family and friends beginning at 10:30 AM. Burial will follow in Bayou CoCo Cemetery.