Clay Eugene Garrett

As a young boy, he sold newspapers on the streets in Oklahoma City, delivered telegrams for Western Union, and frequented the soup lines. Still in his teens, he caught a freight train for California. Again working for Western Union, he was chosen to be the Western Union boy in the movie, “That Certain Woman”, starring Betty Davis. That was his introduction to Hollywood where he worked as an extra in several movies. He was fortunate to meet Cornelius Francis O’Sullivan, an old Irish gentleman, who gave him a job, room and board, and $10 a week. Sully was the owner of “The House of O’Sullivan”, a club at sunset and vine, and remained a friend until his death in 1959.

Clay left Hollywood May 4, 1942, to join the army, was sent to Fort Knox, KY and assigned to the 8th Armored Division. Four months later he had graduated from Radio School, attained the rank of Staff Sgt., and sent to Camp Beale, CA as part of the Cadre to the new 13th Armored. April, 1944 he was sent to college at Cedar City, Utah, as an Air Corps Cadet, but the school was closed six months later and all cadets were sent to the 13th Armored at Camp Bowie, TX. Clay had the good fortune to be reassigned once again, to the 93rd and Company F and remained with Company F the rest of the war.

The 93rd departed the U.S. January 1945, docking at Le Harve, France fourteen days later. During the crossing, Clay was assigned to the Navy as part of the U.S. Naval Armed Guard. The 93rd joined up with Patton’s 3rd Army at Le Harve, fighting through France, Germany and Austria. At Jullebach, Germany, Clay was the recipient of the Bronze Star.

The 3rd Army, going into the Ruhr Pocket, was the largest force ever amassed for the final action (placed at about 300,000 men). The battle lasted 10 days ending April 18, 1945, Clay’s 26th birthday. The 13th was the first Armored Division to be returned home. They were given a 30 day furlough and were to return to Camp Cooke, CA for new equipment and deployment to Japan. The atomic bombs ended the War with Japan while Clay was still in Oklahoma, so when he returned to Camp Cooke his fighting days were over. He received an Honorable Discharge on October 12, 1945.

The “Black Cats,” home again in California, the state of its activation, were given a rousing welcome. The Mayor proclaimed a 13th Armored Division Week in Los Angeles, and the Governor presented “California’s own 13th” with a citation of merit. Scores of film and radio stars honored the Division at a victory rally in the Hollywood Bowl. Clay was one of those honored. Every major U.S. network carried the broadcast “The 13th was Home.”

Clay returned home to Oklahoma, graduated from Business College, and was working as auditor of the Black Hotel when he was hired by the Fram Corporation in 1949.

Clay and Joan were married that year and spent their first 13 years seeing a lot of the U.S. He was transferred from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, Texas, California, Georgia, back to Texas and again to Oklahoma in 1962 as Zone Manager and retirement in 1984.

The last 22 years with Fram were like being on a holiday roller coaster. Clay got a Coleman Pop-up Camper and school vacations were spent camping, seeing most of the State and National Parks west of the Mississippi. These camping trips were the happiest days of their lives.

In order to spend more time at home, Clay bought a little 4 seater Cessna Sky Hawk and then got his pilot license. That is a little backwards, but Clay sometimes made his own rules. He and the boys thought a plane trip to California was a good idea, so off they went. Due to bad weather at Blythe, CA, the boys got to play in a WWII plane graveyard, and at Orange County Airport they got to see the Flying Tigers. On the way home they saw the plane used in the “007” movie. The three guys thought it was one of the best vacations ever. Thinking about it later, Joan thought it was one of the craziest things they ever did.

Clay had accounts that invited his family on wonderful trips abroad, to England, Scotland, Bavaria, Greece, Spain, Italy, etc. Then he had the use of the Fram plane for customer trips, usually in the U.S. and Old Mexico. Clay worked hard planning these trips, reservations for 26 customers, dinners, side trips, etc. Anyone going on one of these trips never wanted to fly commercial again.

Those who knew Clay, knew of his love and pride in the Fram Corp. and the men who worked for Fram. He always said that Fram made the world’s best filters and had the world’s best sales personnel. After 35 years of service, he should know.

Life was not always a bed of roses. Constance Denise, born in Milwaukee in 1952, three months premature lived only 11 days; Steve was taken from them at the age of 24 in 1980, by a drunken driver; Cathy, Gary’s wife, died of a brain tumor in 2000; and Gary at the age of 56, died of colon cancer in 2009. Their children were their lives and Joan believes Clay is with them now probably working on that old Mustang.

Also preceding Clay in death were his parents and sister, Bonnie. He is survived by his wife, Joan, of 64 years; his daughter, Sandra Rodes and her family in Atlanta, GA; grandsons David and Danny Garrett and their wives, Jessica and Ashley; niece Melanie Pralle; and Susan Connett, a dear friend.

Clay was a perpetual 32nd degree Mason, past President of the B-37 Automotive Booster Club, longtime member of the American Legion, VFW, NRA and so very proud to be an Honorary Member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. You guys are the greatest. Thank you.

I’d like to close with this, as Gary wrote in his obituary. – “It is hard to say goodbye to someone forever” as it was with my brother Steve, and my wife, Cathy, but Cathy left me with the greatest lesson any human can give. “That gift is that there IS a life after death. There IS a place for us to serve after we leave here.” Gary goes on to say “I may not be able to tap you on the shoulder as Cathy did mine, but know that I will always be watching over, my friends and family as you are and were “THE BEST THING IN MY LIFE.”

Visitation will be at Memorial Park Funeral Home, Wednesday, 9am-8pm. Funeral services will be 10am, Thursday, October 17, 2013, at Memorial Park Funeral Home Chapel with interment to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Steve Garrett Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Central Oklahoma.