Paul R. Garatt, 83, died January 23, 2019. Born in Candor, in upstate New York, he attended Clarkson College, now Clarkson University. He served honorably in the Navy for 4 years. He was employed at IBM for many years in both New York and North Carolina.
He was a founding member of NAMI NC (the National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina), serving as its President for a time. First in North Carolina and then in Kentucky, he and his wife Marcia taught twenty Family to Family classes, which were designed to educate families about learning to support a relative with a mental illness.
He was a longtime member of barbershop choruses and quartets that competed regionally and nationally, most notably competing with the chorus the Southerntiersmen in San Francisco in 1976. Asked last week what he wanted on his tombstone, Paul said “He Loved to Sing.”
He is survived by his spouse of 61 years, Marcia Ward Garatt. Other surviving relatives include son, Sean Garatt, of Paducah; son, Geordie Garatt and wife Julia, of Paducah; three grandchildren and a grandnephew, Seth Wyatt and Kennedy Garatt of Paducah, Ian Garatt of Miami Beach, FL, and Mark Taylor of Paducah; a sister, Janice Wheeler and spouse, Robert, of Margaree Harbour, Nova Scotia; a sister, Bonnie Chugg of Tehachapi, CA; and several nieces and nephews.
At Paul’s request, a Celebration of Life will be held at The 1857 Hotel at 210 Kentucky Avenue, Paducah, KY from 1:00 to 3:00 on February 3, 2019.
Memorial contributions may be made to NAMI Kentucky, Inc., 2441 S. Hwy. 27, Somerset, KY 42501.
Online condolences may be left at www.lindseyfuneral.com
Lindsey Funeral Home of Paducah is in charge of arrangements.
