John "Buddy" Harold Garrett, Jr.

John Harold Garrett, Jr. (Buddy), 77, of Adamstown, Maryland, died on October 17 at Kline Hospice House. He was the beloved husband of Merri Jo Wright for 40 years, and a devoted father to his late son, John Corey Garrett.

Buddy was born on January 11, 1949, in Washington, D.C., and was preceded in death by his parents, John Harold Garrett, Sr. and Ruth Adelle (Youngs) Garrett, and his sister, Lois Aletha (Lee) Garrett Phebus. He is survived by his sister, Ida Frances (Fritzi) Garrett Moyars, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was the grandfather of Iris Ruth Garrett.

Buddy would admit to his raucous teenage years during which he attended and was escorted out of a few schools. He served in Vietnam in 1970 as an aft pilot in the Sikorsky Flying Crane, one of the largest helicopters ever built. After earning his GED while serving in the Army, Buddy returned to Maryland and joined the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers at the Washington Post, where he was a machinist for 30 years. It was there that he met his best friend for life, the late John Jay Alexander. Buddy could fix anything and was recognized by then-publisher Katherine Graham for his creativity in designing equipment that saved the company millions of dollars. He loved anything with wheels, and for a time followed in his father’s footsteps, racing sprint cars up and down the East Coast.

Upon retirement, Buddy shared his gifts with the community. He welded and repaired just about every piece of equipment for the Carroll Manor Fire Department and built sets for the Tuscarora Marching Band. His shop was an Adamstown gathering place, and he never turned down a request for help. He was a Chevy man, restoring numerous cars, including a 1949 Chevy truck, a matching 1963 Pontiac LeMans, and his pride and joy, a 1967 Corvette. He was especially fond of showing them each year at the Road Knight’s annual car show in Brunswick.

Buddy was a simple, good, and kind man. He was generous to a fault, and in his later years, kept $100 bills in his pocket to give to overworked grocery clerks or tired waitresses. He was truly loved, and he will be missed by all who knew him.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 24, from 2-4 pm at Stauffer Funeral Homes in Frederick, with a reception to follow at the Adamstown Grange Hall.