J. Adam Garrettson
J. Adam Garrettson, 48, of Washington, formerly of Indiana, died suddenly Friday, April 27, 2018, in UPMC-Presbyterian hospital, Pittsburgh, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
A son of Dr. James A. Garrettson and Deanna Walker Garrettson, he was born in Fort Belvoir, Va. Since he was born below the Mason-Dixon line, he often kidded that he was a “little rebel.”
He was Presbyterian.
A 1988 graduate of Indiana Area Senior High School, he was known for his pranks, wit and class spirit. Captain of the HIS rifle team his senior year, he placed first in many matches and was second in the WPIAL championship match. Subsequently, he graduated in 1993 from Waynesburg College (now University), where he was a member of Delta Sigma Phi.
He was employed by Service Link as a mortgage funder.
He lived for summertime, when he could fish for small mouth bass, perch and pike in Canada with family and friends. Besides fishing, Adam loved hunting with his dad, especially their “bucket list” trip to South Dakota for pheasant. The old Garrettson farm was his stomping ground because his heart was in the country.
Adam was a member of Elks Club, Independent Club and Anawanna Sportsman Club.
He was a fan of all sports teams from Pittsburgh and enthusiastically watched them with his buddies.
On August 6, 2016, he married the love of his life, Jolene Marie Ulrich. They enjoyed the weekends when they visited local events, craft shows and flea markets and restaurant hopped. They reveled in each other’s company.
Loving memories are cherished by his surviving wife, Jolene; his parents, Jim and Dee Garrettson of Indiana; sister Gwen G. Rifici (Lou) of Medina, Ohio; niece Jenna (Anthony); great-niece Evelyn Mahramus of Cleveland, Ohio; nephew Jonathan Rifici of Cleveland; mother-in-law Jeanette Nord of Goodfield, Ill.; father-in-law Norman (Janet) Ulrich of Goodfield; brother-in-law Brian (Courtney) Ulrich and their daughters, Luda and Katya, of Los Angeles, Calif.; uncles Don Walker and Bill (Donna) Walker of Flat Rock, Mich.; and many cousins.
He also leaves behind his fluffy pet cats, Puff and Nala, at home
Because of his loving charity toward people, he was a regular blood donor and, at the end of his life, an organ donor.
Deceased are his paternal grandparents, Mable and James Garrettson; his maternal grandparents, Richard and Anne Wootton Walker; a sister, Christine Anne Garrettson; and his beloved Mama kitty.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in William G. Neal Funeral Homes Ltd., 925 Allison Avenue, Washington, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 3, with Brian Ulrich and Jeff Diedrich officiating. Interment will follow in Oakmont Cemetery, Waynesburg, where he will be laid to rest for eternity with his sister and many Garrettson relatives.
Memorial donations are requested to be directed to Washington Area Humane Society, 1537 State Route 136, Eighty Four, PA 15330, or Wounded Warrior Project, 301 Grant Street, Suite 900, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.