Phillip John Garr, born February 25th, 1932 in Olean, NY, passed away at Copperleaf Assisted Living on October 18th, 2021. Phil was the youngest of 7 siblings. He attended high school in Olean NY. He met the love of his life, Donna Harris, at Cuba Lake. They were married at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland while Phil was in the army. Phil and Donna had three children together: Brian Douglas, Frank Jeffery, and Kelly Fern. After Donna earned her PhD and got a job at UWSP in Wisconsin, Phil moved first to pick out their home on Lake DuBay in Mosinee, WI. Their lake home became their pride and joy as they loved going out on the boat, watching the sunsets, and just sitting near the water and talking. They were both animal lovers, owning many pets over the course of their lives, and everyday they would feed the crows. The crows knew when Phil or Donna were coming with food and you could hear them caw-cawing in anticipation of their meal. When Phil and Donna first moved to Lake DuBay, Phil had his own business on the square in Stevens Point called The Cold Tongue. It was an ice cream shop where he also sold Texas Hots-- a special type of chili dog known well in Upstate New York. Phil eventually retired from the Stevens Point recycling plant-- where he was manager. Phil loved collecting things and had several different collections over the years-- including pinbacks, phonographs, typewriters and coins. He was a Life-Master Bridge player and loved researching his and Donna's genealogy. Phil also had a strong love for music. He collected records, CDs, DVDs of live concerts. He instilled this love for music in both his children and his grandchildren. He was always listening to music, even later in life at his assisted living facility. Phil was a great father. He taught his kids to fish and boat and gave his son Frank a life-long love of fishing. Whenever one of the kids misbehaved, they could look forward to one of Phil's long lectures which usually included "this is the way the World is". He taught Brian to throw a football and played with him outside often. Frank looked forward to Phil coming home from work every day because he was so loving and fun. Phil had a special place in his heart for Kelly-- his youngest child and his only daughter. He took Kelly swimming often in the summer. While Phil was managing eight toy stores, he would bring Frank and Kelly to the stores to test out all the latest toys. Phil was devastated beyond words when his daughter Kelly (27) and granddaughter Jennifer (4) were killed unexpectedly in a car accident. While it was an extremely difficult time to get through, they were able to manage with the support and love of their remaining family and friends. Phil and Donna never forget their deceased loved ones; teaching their later grandchildren all about Kelly and Jennifer, keeping their memories alive. They loved unconditionally and forever-- this applied to all of their family members. Phil loved his six grandchildren and had special nick-names for them all. "Abbathagaily"-- Abigail Araujo (Jason), MA; "Kaitydid" or "Kaitydidn't"-- Dr. Kaitlyn Jones (Eddie), Arbor Vitae; "My Tessia"-- Dr. Tessa Garr, Stevens Point; "Scooter"-- Taylor Garr, VA; "Francewah"-- Frankie Garr, Kronenwetter; "Juniper Berry''-- Jennifer Dawley (deceased). Phil was a phenomenal grandfather-- he always had the best toys (from his experience managing toy stores), made the grandkids his "world famous" milkshakes, and was a supportive, loving figure throughout their lives. He encouraged his grandchildren to go to college and helped support them while they did so. He always wanted the best for his grandchildren. Another great sorrow of Phil's life was when his wife Donna was diagnosed with cancer, given 6 months left to live. Phil would not let Donna lift a finger after that-- he cooked and cleaned, waited on her hand and foot, all while singing "There she is, Mrs. America, there she is, my ideal". Phil stayed by her side every second until Donna passed away. It was a crushing blow to him when she left this world. Shortly after he started to show signs of dementia, but with the help of his son Frank and daughter-in-law Lisa, he was able to stay in his home on the lake for over five years. During that time, Lisa helped Phil get an electric scooter which helped him to be more mobile for longer periods. He would always ride across the street to a local restaurant where his grandson Frankie and granddaughter Taylor worked at the time. He would visit them often, and Frankie would always be more than happy to whip up a mushroom and swiss burger for his loving grandpa and often Frankie would sit and visit with Phil while he ate. Eventually he moved to Copperleaf Assisted Living, where he was well-cared for and looked after. The pandemic was hard on the family since there was a long period where they were unable to visit, but they talked on the phone daily and would visit whenever they could. Once restrictions were lifted and visiting was allowed, Phil's favorite visitor was always his great-grandson Orion (4). Phil often greeted his loved ones with "Suffering Succotash", a favorite memory for us all. Phil had many special friends and "helpers" over the years, who would come visit and bring him food, gifts, and company. He truly cherished all of his friends, neighbors, and family that were there for him throughout his life. He considered himself a blessed man. Even 3 days before his death, when Lisa, Frank and Orion visited, Phil said "I'm the luckiest man alive!" Phil now rests easy alongside his wife, parents, siblings, daughter, and granddaughter. Along with the grandchildren already mentioned; Phil is survived by his son Brian Garr (RI); his son Frank Garr (daughter-in-law Lisa Garr) Kronenwetter; great-grandchildren Trevar and Bella Araujo (MA); Finley and Beau Jones (Arbor Vitae) and his special great-grandson, Orion Martens (Wausau). There will be no service at Phil's request. Cards may be sent to: Frank Garr 1815 Pine Rd. Kronenwetter, Wi, 54455 Frank will make sure that all well-wishes are heard and shared throughout the family.