Obituary for Randal Lee Garten II
Randal Lee Garten II, of Arlington, MA passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease early in the morning of Friday February 9th, at the age of seventy-one with his daughter by his side. Hailing from outside Kansas City, MO Randy moved to the Boston area in 1978 with his college sweetheart and soon-to-be wife, Mary Bessmer, to pursue his master’s degree at the Harvard Kennedy School. Randy and Mary originally met when their highschool quiz teams competed against each other, and they started dating while participating in the Marching Mizzou Band at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Randy’s academic prowess shone from an early age, graduating both high school and college as second in his class. His friends lovingly called him “Einstein”, but his intelligence was never a mark of arrogance. Randy was also known widely for his kindness and humility.
A supportive father to his son and daughter, James and Dianna, he volunteered as a youth sports coach when no one else would. He shuttled them to practices, games, rehearsals, recitals, and so much more. He never missed one of James’ games or one of Dianna’s performances if he could help it. You could find him every Friday night for decades playing tennis with friends at a local sports club. Randy played trumpet in his youth, and actually kept up with it, joining local bands and orchestras for amateur adults throughout his time in Arlington. His music taste was broad and eclectic, loving things from Don McLean to Miles Davis to Maurice Andre to Bach. He was also a loving pet parent to the family dogs and cats forming a special attachment with each; and could be most recently seen walking the small black and white dog Bandit around the neighborhood. It was his immense joy to become a grandfather to Layla, soon followed by Liam, delighting in making them laugh.
Randy was a committed and loving son, helping to care for both of his parents in their last years, despite being far away. Having worked his entire post-graduate career in the Massachusetts State Department of Elder Affairs he used his knowledge of medications and services to help his parents as much as he could. With his knowledge of his family history of Alzheimer’s, Randy became deeply committed to the furthering of Alzheimer’s research. He participated in multiple research studies to progress the field and work towards a cure. He engaged with Alzheimer’s support groups and even at one point volunteered to mentor people who were more newly diagnosed than he was. He won the hearts of all his caregivers with his persistent kindness even as his health declined.
Randy is survived by his devoted wife of 43 years, Mary Bessmer, his son and daughter-in-law James and Gina Garten, his daughter Dianna Garten, his brother and sister-in-law Dean and Brenna Garten with his nephew Michael and niece Lavender, and his two adored grandchildren Layla and Liam Garten. He is deeply loved and missed.
A Celebration of Life will be held March 23rd, 11am at 75 Pleasant St. Arlington, MA 02476. Attendees are invited to wear purple clothing, accessories, or a ribbon in solidarity with Alzheimer’s support. Parking is either on-street or in the Russell Common Municipal Lot (78-92 Chestnut St. Arlington, MA 02474). In honor of Randy’s dedication to Alzheimer’s research, the family asks that in lieu of gifts or flowers, financial contributions be made to Alzheimer’s research https://www.alz.org/get-involved-now/donate. You can find more information or contribute to Randy’s memorial page here: https://randygarten.muchloved.com/
A supportive father to his son and daughter, James and Dianna, he volunteered as a youth sports coach when no one else would. He shuttled them to practices, games, rehearsals, recitals, and so much more. He never missed one of James’ games or one of Dianna’s performances if he could help it. You could find him every Friday night for decades playing tennis with friends at a local sports club. Randy played trumpet in his youth, and actually kept up with it, joining local bands and orchestras for amateur adults throughout his time in Arlington. His music taste was broad and eclectic, loving things from Don McLean to Miles Davis to Maurice Andre to Bach. He was also a loving pet parent to the family dogs and cats forming a special attachment with each; and could be most recently seen walking the small black and white dog Bandit around the neighborhood. It was his immense joy to become a grandfather to Layla, soon followed by Liam, delighting in making them laugh.
Randy was a committed and loving son, helping to care for both of his parents in their last years, despite being far away. Having worked his entire post-graduate career in the Massachusetts State Department of Elder Affairs he used his knowledge of medications and services to help his parents as much as he could. With his knowledge of his family history of Alzheimer’s, Randy became deeply committed to the furthering of Alzheimer’s research. He participated in multiple research studies to progress the field and work towards a cure. He engaged with Alzheimer’s support groups and even at one point volunteered to mentor people who were more newly diagnosed than he was. He won the hearts of all his caregivers with his persistent kindness even as his health declined.
Randy is survived by his devoted wife of 43 years, Mary Bessmer, his son and daughter-in-law James and Gina Garten, his daughter Dianna Garten, his brother and sister-in-law Dean and Brenna Garten with his nephew Michael and niece Lavender, and his two adored grandchildren Layla and Liam Garten. He is deeply loved and missed.
A Celebration of Life will be held March 23rd, 11am at 75 Pleasant St. Arlington, MA 02476. Attendees are invited to wear purple clothing, accessories, or a ribbon in solidarity with Alzheimer’s support. Parking is either on-street or in the Russell Common Municipal Lot (78-92 Chestnut St. Arlington, MA 02474). In honor of Randy’s dedication to Alzheimer’s research, the family asks that in lieu of gifts or flowers, financial contributions be made to Alzheimer’s research https://www.alz.org/get-involved-now/donate. You can find more information or contribute to Randy’s memorial page here: https://randygarten.muchloved.com/