Obituary of Martin Garsee

Services for Martin Garsee, 87, Overton, are scheduled for 2:00 pm, Sunday, November 15, at the First Baptist Church, Overton, with the Reverend Ken Hayman and Doctor Charles Paschall officiating. Burial will be in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, near New London, under the direction of Cottle-Pearson Funeral Home, Overton. Mr. Garsee died Thursday, November 12, 2009 in a Tyler hospital. He was born January 27, 1922 in Logansport, Louisiana, to the late Hiley Joseph Garsee and Carrie Bryant Garsee. He had been a resident of Overton since 1959. Mr. Garsee was a veteran of World War II serving as a Staff Sergeant in the Second Infantry Division. He landed at Normandy on DDay plus one. He was wounded four times and received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with five clusters. He owned and operated M&M Garage, Overton retiring in 1986. Mr. Garsee was a member of the First Baptist Church, Overton where he served as a Deacon Emeritus. He married Nina Gray in Quinton, Oklahoma, August 6, 1942. She preceded him in death December 9, 2006. Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Carolyn Garsee, Overton; a daughter and son-in-law, Doris and Jack Hoover, Overton; two sisters, Alice Jackson, Tyler and Lela Stark, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho; two grandchildren, John Hoover and Jennifer Johnson; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Jeffrey Hoover, Randy Hicks, Steven Hicks, Mike Gray, Eric Gray, Brad Water, Craig Ilschner, and Robert Hoover. Honorary Pallbearers will be John Hoover and Jared Hoover. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm, Saturday, November 14.