For my brother and friend, Garrett
By Anna East
As the oldest of the four east kids, Garrett was the leader of the pack. But not in the way most would expect. He marched to the beat of his own drum, and as we watched him lead his own unique life, we were encouraged to lead ours in our own way, too. I believe he was a pillar of the family’s creativity, uniqueness, and quest for knowledge, traits I know we are all proud to share. He also helped us by always being the first one to get in trouble, and by watching, we learned what not to do. He gave us nicknames and never ceased to call us “Colly, Austy, and Noodle.”
He was my parents, Bob and Jennifer’s first born, and my grandparents first grandchild, too. My Grandma Phyllis, we referred to her as Grandma’P’ was holding and loving him whenever she could. She and Garrett had a special bond from day one. My Grandpa Bob would always go on and on about how he was the cutest baby, and none of us could even compete. My parents loved to see Garrett dive into his interests, and settle into his confidence.
A live and let live kind of guy, Garrett contributed his thoughts about the world through his writing, personal style and photography. He wrote dozens of articles for “Shows I Go To” and was an avid music fan, with a huge vinyl record collection to prove this. He lived his life to experience live music, hundreds of live concerts, and found so much beauty, depth and joy in supporting local bands, the independent music community and friends, and people who needed someone to believe in them.
Garrett would always check in on us through phone calls, just to see how life was. He had the best listening ear to his family and friends.
I think that was his super power, listening. He listened to the intricacies of music, to unusual information in books, to the emotional journey of film characters, and to everyone he met. (Except for maybe our parents when they asked him to clean or get up off the couch) but Garrett had time and patience to lend an ear to anyone. What I think that really meant is that he was a true example of perceptivity and respect.
He’s had incredible intelligence from the start, reading encyclopedias before 6, breaking down and understanding all he could of the universe.
As such a kind, caring, and gentle soul, Garrett struggled to find his confidence throughout the years, but Garrett was not the type to give up.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics, at UCF in Orlando, Florida, as the interaction of countries and their economies was something that was always changing, creating new things to learn about.
With an IQ of 142, we would always say Garrett had an encyclopedia of a brain and was definitely someone that you wanted on your Trivia team. For fun I’d ask him questions about who made what movie with which actors in which year, and he always knew the answers.
In early 2019, he acted on his heart and moved back to his hometown of Seattle, Washington. He was happiest amongst the trees, the mountains and the water.
With the help of our aunt, uncle and cousins, Garrett found his way in the city and got a job with Pacific Office Automation in downtown Seattle, and he loved going into to work, because he loved being around his coworkers.
Our brother, Austin, moved up shortly after and they lived together. Austin and Garrett bonded over a lot, but video games and music were a big mutual interests, and Garrett was so proud of Austin’s career in VR and gaming. He, Collin and Austin played together weekly online and I know Garrett really looked forward to spending that time together.
Their apartment together was a place Garrett was really proud of. It has a great view of the mountains, a place that Garrett loved the most. He had a flourishing garden on his back patio and hummingbird regulars who would stop by to say hello. He drove his beloved 1999 Mazda Miata as far as it could go, blasting the music and relaxing with the top down.
His growth in self confidence is something that he passed off to me, especially in his final week. His support and unconditional love has led me to make much more confident choices with my life. Garrett always saw in me what I’ve struggled to see in myself.
His 20 month battle with cancer was so incredibly hard, and through everything he faced, (with most physical aspects being too intense and painful to even describe to you now) Garrett would still check in on others, still showed up presently in conversations, and he still found a way to attend every live music concert he could handle. He was grateful to our parents for being with him every step of the way through the horrific battle for his life. He endured all the pain and suffering as a mighty warrior and our hero.
Through everything. Garrett’s spirit of kindness and strength never broke, and I think that is what is his true core. His essence and light will never leave us. The sparkle in his eye will never fade. That beautiful, genuine smile and laugh that could melt hearts is something we can never forget. Everyday I wish I could hug him again, or have one more day with him… but I try to remember that when we feel his physical absence, we can take his energy forward by treating each other a little more like Garrett would.
It’s still hard to accept the finality of him leaving, because I feel like he is with me everywhere. In the music I hear, on the walks I take, in my heart when I make hard decisions, and when I get to celebrate my successes. When I eat the foods he loved, dance to live music, or watch Kung fu, I remember his opinions, his curiosities and his passion.
I know you all, that loved him, will see him reflected in all the intricate ways that you connected with Garrett, in ways I hope to hear about sometime.
Garrett would love it if we rolled the windows down more often, head-banged with strangers, and checked in on each other a little more.
Garrett was one of the most influential people in my life, and so I’ll tell you quote from a song that was very influential to him:
“And when you go away I still see you
The sunlight on your face in the rear view
This always happens to me this way
Reoccurring visions of sweet days”
His final resting place is at Mt. Olivet, 100 Blaine Ave NE, Renton, Washington. They will help you find him or reach out to the family and they will guide you. Please visit him anytime, it’s beautiful, especially at sunset.
Gone To Soon, A Memorial Video for Garrett East is available. Watch as Garrett tells his story in his own words: https://vimeo.com/970301971
Garrett is survived by his parents, Robert and Jennifer East, his siblings, Collin, Austin and Anna East, his aunt Katrina East, his uncles, Joseph and Jeffrey Danson, Daniel and John East, his extended Danson and East families, his best friend Mitchel Foster and his son Theo, his kind coworkers at POA and the hundreds of dear friends that he has touched in his 35 years on this earth. Garrett’s beautiful, kind spirit is missed everyday.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Garrett East, please visit our floral store.
