Russell “Rusty” Smith Garrison Jr.

Russell “Rusty” S. Garrison, Jr., 69, of West Lafayette, passed away peacefully Saturday, August 31, 2024, at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis surrounded by his family.
He was born March 30, 1955, in Danville, IL to the late Russell S. Garrison Sr and Marian Joan (Lynch) Garrison. He was a graduate of Benton Central High School and attended Milligan University in Elizabethton, TN. On September 11, 1976, he married Tricia R. Stump in Danville, IN, and she survives. Rusty worked at Eli Lilly (Evonik) in the Process Automation and later the Product Development department until his retirement in 2022.
He was a member of the Federated Church in West Lafayette where he was a member of the Trustee Board. Rusty enjoyed coaching his son’s baseball and soccer teams. As a child, Rusty worked hard and attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. He was one of the first EMT’s on the Boswell Ambulance and was President of the Ambulance Board. He was a handy guy and enjoyed fixing things and always had the correct tool for the job. Nothing put the grin on his face quite as much as shooting his cannon and fireworks. He was a great mentor to his sons, enjoyed Purdue sports, and loved animals. He was an avid golfer and volunteered at the Western Open/BMW Fedex Championship in Chicago and was in charge of the Eli Lilly “Clothe the Child” Golf tournament. He liked to give back to the community and volunteering at charity golf tournaments that raised money for children’s hospitals and the Evan Scholars Foundation allowed him to do that.
He was an outdoorsman who loved his John Deere tractors. He loved to help others and was generous with his time and talents whenever anyone needed a hand. Above all, he cherished time with his family and friends.
Along with his wife, Tricia, he is survived by his 2 sons, Rusty J. (Beverly) Garrison of Pleasant Prairie, WI and Brandan (Jenny) Garrison of Evansville, IN; 3 siblings, Cindy (John) Raihl of Lafayette, Ginny Garrison of Sarasota, FL, and Rex (Jennifer) Garrison of Blountville, TN; numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Russell Sr and Marian Garrison.
Memorial contributions in Rusty’s name may be given to the Keep Moving Foundation, 133 Forest Lane South, Blountville, TN, 37617 for ALS Awareness and Support.
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 pm, followed by visitation until 4:30 pm, Saturday, September 7, 2024, at the Federated Church, 2400 Sycamore Lane, West Lafayette, IN 47906.
Inurnment will be held at a later date at Boswell Cemetery.