Douglas ‘Doug’ Allen Garton

Douglas “Doug” Allen Garton, 73, of Baxter died Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, at Skiff Medical Center in Newton.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Baxter. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Congregational United Church of Christ with Pastor Rollin Watters officiating. Burial will follow at the Restland Cemetery in Baxter.

Doug was born in Baxter to Clair and Coy (Crawford) Garton on Jan. 28, 1940. He attended Baxter schools and later obtained his GED. In 1957, he joined the Marine Corps and when he returned home began his career as an electrician. He became a journeyman electrician and worked for the Local 347. On Feb. 10, 1962, Doug married Gerri Borts at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. The couple then began their lives together in Baxter where they raised their family. He was a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ, the Local 347, and the I-Club. Doug had a great love for spending time with his family and friends, hunting, fishing, farming with the Samson’s, gardening, the Vikings and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Those left to cherish his loving memories are his wife of 51 years Gerri; his children, Deb (Doug) Freese, Chris (Andrea) Garton, and Troy (Lynne) Garton; his grandchildren, Michael (Amanda) Freese, Jill (Scott) Dykstra, Seth Garton, Chelsea Garton, Stefan Garton, Tyler Garton, Tanner Garton and Treycen Garton; great-grandchildren, Jacob, Brianna and Katelyn Freese, Autumn, Savannah, Brooklyn and Ember Dykstra; his mother Coy Garton; sisters, Karen (Dean) Flora and Norma Jean (Stan) Richeson.

He was preceded in death by his father Clair Garton and grandson Lincoln Garton.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the family.

Fredregill Family Funeral Home in Baxter has been entrusted with the care of Doug and his family.