The Story of Michael & Elizabeth Garry
Michael and Elizabeth Garry spent their entire married life of 64 years in Fairmont.
In 1941, Michael graduated from Fairmont High School. After obtaining a degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1945, he returned to Fairmont and went into the grain business, becoming the owner of Garry Elevator, which he operated until 1987. Michael was also president of the Southern Minnesota Grain Elevator Assn.
Elizabeth grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from the College of St. Catherine in 1947. She then came to Fairmont to help launch KSUM Radio, serving as the first host of the station’s premier morning program, “Talk of the Town.” She had previously been a radio personality at Spencer, Iowa.
Michael and Elizabeth married in 1952 and raised eight children. Their first home was an apartment above Wolf’s Department Store in downtown Fairmont. They loved the town and were forever grateful for the vibrant and supportive community that Fairmont gave them in which to raise their family. Mike and Liz, over the course of their lives, became involved in the active leadership of countless community groups and institutions.
At St. John Vianney School, they started the nation’s first endowment fund at a Catholic elementary school. They helped lead the restoration of Camp Cedar Point and the establishment of the Fairmont Foundation. They served as School Board members and on the Board of Directors of Heritage Acres, Partners In Education, Fairmont Band Boosters, Martin County Historical Society, and Fairmont United Fund. Michael was president of the Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation, vice-president of the Salvation Army Board, a recipient of the Golden Deeds Award, and a longstanding Director of the First National Bank. He was also elected as the State Treasurer of the Knights of Columbus. Later in life, Michael and Elizabeth published numerous books and scores of newspaper articles on subjects of local interest and history, leaving a literary legacy of the treasures of Martin County.
In eulogizing Michael after his death, the editor of the Sentinel wrote:
Michael liked people. Loved them. He loved life. It wasn’t a chore to him, it was a privilege. His energy and perspectives were inspiring. If a person did half the things Mike did and was half as nice, that would be a good person leading a good life. Mike’s life was great. In August, Mike wrote a letter to the editor about a beautiful sunset in Fairmont. He seamlessly blended it into an observation about the shared humanity of everyone on Earth. We appreciated his writing and his wisdom. He will be missed.
Mike and Liz believed in hope and did what they could to spread it. They never took a time-out from life; when presented with a need, they never bowed out with an “I’m too tired” or “I’m too busy.” As Liz once wrote: “Even a woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job.”
They used their time, talents and treasure to benefit the community in which they lived. They were grateful for all the gifts God had bestowed, but they also recognized that “what you do with your talents is your gift back to God.”
Michael and Elizabeth never lost faith in Fairmont’s future. And they never desired to live anywhere else but Fairmont. The building at 105 West First Street memorializes the commitment that Michael and Elizabeth Garry demonstrated every day of their married life to the town that had given them so much. “Be involved,” they often said, “the world needs the best you’ve got to offer.”
Imagine Martin is honored to steward the Michael & Elizabeth Garry Building as Imagine Martin’s Artisan Studio & Market, a lasting reflection of their generosity and belief in our community.
