Howard Garnick
George Howard Garnick died peacefully in Pleasanton, CA on November 16, 2015, at the age of 89, after a short hospitalization due to a stroke. He was surrounded by Janice, his wife of 65 years, and all four of his children.
Howard was born in Salt Lake City in 1926 and moved with his family at the age of 12 to the Glenview District of Oakland, CA. He attended Oakland High School and enlisted in the Air Force after graduation. He graduated from Stanford University in 1950 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He started dating fellow Stanford student Janice Froehlich while busing tables in a girls dorm and knowing a good thing when he saw it, they were married in June, 1950.
Upon graduation from Stanford, Howard began his professional career as an engineer and job foreman at Stolte Construction in Oakland. He then moved on to Monterey Mechanical Company where he eventually became a partner and co-owner. He managed their key projects on the plumbing side of the business. Under his leadership, the company became a successful sub and general contractor for many commercial projects including the Stanford Linear Accelerator, BART stations, improvements to Bay Area bridges, hospitals, and drinking and waste-water treatment facilities.
Howard enjoyed skiing, hiking and the great outdoors, and traveled extensively and adventurously with Janice, eventually visiting every continent, many times over. He thrived as a problem solver, and enjoyed his self-sufficiency and his ability to work on his cars, home improvement, electronics and woodworking projects.
He is survived by his wife, Janice, and his four children Marilyn Kittleson (Dan) of Sonoma, Steven Garnick (Nancy) and Anne Kuelz (Paul) of Danville, and Larry Garnick (Terri) of San Mateo; and ten grandchildren - Robert and Amy Kittleson; Sarah (Garnick) Murphy; Karen, Scott, Lindsey, Devin and Maxwell Garnick; Alison and Jessica Kuelz. Howard deeply loved his family and took great pride in them.
Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service at 3 PM on Saturday, November 28 at San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church, 902 Danville Boulevard, Alamo, CA. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice.