John Michael Garner

John Michael (Mike) Garner, 77, passed away on January 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.  Mike was born in Taylor, Texas, on November 17, 1943, the second eldest of four brothers, to Charles Patrick Sr. and Mary Elsie (Holub) Garner. After graduating from Taylor High School in 1961, he received both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from the University of Texas at Austin. He later was awarded a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University.  Mike began a thirty-year career as a Foreign Service Officer for the State Department in Washington, D.C., one that would take him all over the world, with postings in Lima, Peru; Nassau, Bahamas; Mexico City, Mexico; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Panama City, Panama; Cairo, Egypt; Monrovia, Liberia; and Canberra and Perth, Australia.  He also headed United States delegations as an International Relations Officer to council meetings of the International Maritime Organization in London, England, and served as an advisor to the United States delegation to the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mike received a Meritorious Honor Award and Superior Honor Award from the State Department for his service in Honduras during 1986 and in Panama during 1987 and 1988, periods of significant political turmoil in the region.  He also received a Meritorious Honor Award for his roles in the United States delegations to the International Maritime Organization World Meteorological Organization from 1997 to 1999.

Mike led an active and patriotic life in our nation’s capital after retiring from the State Department in 1999, where he enjoyed attending events at the Kennedy Center and Washington Nationals, Redskins, and Capitals games. He also participated as a volunteer for many civic organizations and events in Washington, D.C., including serving as the Captain of Precinct for Elections for the Bureau of Elections and Ethics for the District of Columbia Government in Wards 2 and 3 from 2000 to 2008.  All the while, he remained a lifelong Texan, devoted Texas Longhorn and Lifetime Member of the Texas Exes.

Mike was preceded in death by his parents; his three brothers Thomas Robert (Tommy), Dr. James Francis (Jimmy), and Charles Patrick (Pat) Garner; and his nephew Christopher Garner. He is survived by his sisters-in-law Linda Betak, Donna Garner, and Mary Jane Garner; nieces Leslie Pritchett, Kelly Currell, Heather Watson, and Christine Taylor; nephew Patrick Garner; and their families.