Armistead Wellford Garrett

Armistead Wellford Garrett, 92, died peacefully at Stuttgart, AR, on August 30, 2016. He was born on March 28, 1924, in Richmond, VA, the son of John Henry and Eva Lacy Garrett. In the fall of 1941, Wellford entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va., as a freshman in the Corp of Cadets where he studied industrial and mechanical engineering until the end of his sophomore year in March 1943. In April 1943, Wellford began undergraduate pilot training in the US Army Air Corp. He received his commission as a second Lieutenant and his pilot's wings at George Field, Ill., on June 27, 1944, and ultimately was assigned to the 577th Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, eighth Air Force, RAF Wendling, United Kingdom. Between Dec. 1944 and May 1945, second Lieutenant Garrett piloted 28 combat missions over Nazi Germany as the command pilot of a B-24J "Liberator" bomber and earned 2 Air Medals for "meritorious achievement …in aerial flight". Following the end of WWII, Wellford resumed his studies at Virginia Tech in Oct. 1945 and received his industrial engineering degree in the spring of 1947. After graduation from Virginia Tech, Wellford began his professional career with Wortendyke Manufacturing Company in Richmond, Va., where he soon met the love of his life, Hilda Gertrude Bennett, and they were married on Jan. 28, 1950 in Richmond. Wellford subsequently was employed by Albemarle Paper Company and Chase Bag Company, where he remained for the rest of his career. Wellford and Hilda transferred with Chase around the country as he assumed senior management positions in the Chase Bag plants located at Crossett, Ark.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Hanford, Calif., and Monticello, Ark. While residing in Crossett, Wellford was president of the Chamber of Commerce and active in many community service endeavors. After retirement from Chase Bag Company in 2002, Wellford and Hilda remained in Monticello where they avidly played bridge and duplicate bridge with several bridge clubs. They also were active in the St. Mary's Episcopal Church and his beloved Virginia Tech Alumni Association. Wellford and Hilda enjoyed life in Monticello, visits to and from their ever growing family, and international travel. Wellford remained busy professionally by consulting with international manufacturing facilities in Cypress and Africa. Wellford and Hilda later moved to Roe, Ark., where they could be close to their daughter and son-in-law, Virginia and Johnny Porter, who have lovingly cared for them since. Throughout his life Wellford was known by his close friends and family as a humble man of great religious faith and for his total devotion to Hilda, his wife of 66 years. He was also well known for being the perfect southern gentleman, and a wonderful father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He lived by the creed "God, Country, and Family". Wellford was predeceased by his parents, sister Eva Shoemaker, and brother Captain John H. Garrett Jr. He is survived by his three children, A. W. Garrett Jr. (AeCha) of Eureka, Calif.; Lila Garrett Owens (Lionell) of San Antonio, Texas; Virginia Garrett Porter (Johnny) of Roe, Ark.; his eight grandchildren (Garrett, West (Shawna), Ford (Jackie), Thomas (Holly) and Lacy Owens, and Bennett Porter Capps (Cliff), John Garrett and Will Porter; and four great-grandchildren (Charlotte, Alice and Cameron Owens and Calvin Capps). Also surviving is his sister, Geraldine Tinder, a host of nieces and nephews, and his American Field Service foreign exchange son, Uwe Gerdes, of Germany, with whom the family has maintained a lifelong relationship. The family would like to express our special gratitude to Dr. Noble Daniel, Dr. Donald Meacham, the caring staff at Baptist Health-Stuttgart and Wellford's caregivers - Verlestine Johnson, Anna Hicks, Lena Venyard, Thelma Sims, Stella Cheney, Cathy Reed, and Shirley Coker. A memorial service will be held on Sept. 18, 2016, at 2 p.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Tollville, Ark. In lieu of flowers, the family requests expressions of sympathy be made through a memorial donation to the American Heart Association, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Monticello, Ark., or St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Tollville, Ark. Please include the name of Armistead Wellford Garrett with your donation. Please go to www.turpin-co.com to sign the online guestbook.