Obituary of Garrett Lee Jenks

Garrett Lee Jenks, beloved son of Joyce Durdel and Donald Jenks, MI, passed away on the evening of October 8, 2022 at the age of 34. His family and friends will miss his enthusiasm for adventure, travel and trying new things. He loved animals and many outdoor activities like cruising motorcycles, sailing, snowboarding, hiking, frisby golf. He loved working with his hands, welding, carving, painting, playing guitar, mixing music.

Garrett loved his current work for a local construction group and the crew he worked with there. He had earned the nick-name Waldo for his tendency to be everywhere and anywhere on the worksite in a matter of seconds. He worked hard and talked about using the equipment, rolling dirt pads to perfection, leveling the ground to the right slope, using the GPS to get it level. It was rare to hear a complaint from him. Surely, he would like his crew and his bosses to know this, they were very special people who gave him purpose and strength.

An unfortunate set of circumstances has led to his death. You see, he was also plagued by addiction to drugs and alcohol starting in his 20s. It took a toll on his health and caused great grief to all who knew him. Over the years he tried more than once to correct the situation, spent a lot of time running away, being punished and punishing himself. Of late, he was in rehab and this time was building his way back to being free. Finally it seemed the path was working to lift him out of the depths of depression addiction brings with it. He was happy and it was the best week he had in a long time. It was a joy to see him smiling.

But he slipped up on Saturday, maybe thought now he could control it, maybe just wanted to celebrate a bit, maybe took too much or maybe something very bad was added this time. That part we will never know and we will have to wait on tests to give some clue. What we do know in our shattered hearts, Garrett is gone, there is no next time for him.

Love you always,

Mom