Garth John Day

Garth J. Day, age 91, of Charlotte passed away Saturday, July 28, 2018 at Hope Landing, attended by family and Great Lakes Hospice. Garth was born on October 3, 1926 in Elwood Indiana. He entered WWII during his senior year of high school and proudly served in the Navy on the Pacific front from 1944-1946; and continued his service in the Naval Reserve during the following two years. Afterwards, he ran the family grocery store and married Billie Wilson in April, 1949. Their marriage lasted 60 years until she passed away in December, 2009. He started his career at General Motors in 1955 at Allison Jet Engine in Indianapolis. The family then moved to Lansing, Michigan in 1960 where he worked at Oldsmobiles Experimental Engineering Laboratory until his retirement in 1982. He loved working at Oldsmobile and travelling to the GM proving grounds in Milford, Michigan. After retirement he concentrated on his home business "Rustic Scene Studio" where he photographed family portraits and weddings. His interest in photography started when he was 11 years old and assisted a portrait photographer in Elwood, Indiana. He also shot industrial photography at Oldsmobile and was the founder of The Oldsmobile Camera Club. He enjoyed collecting and never could pass by a sale. He would tell his wife that he needed to purchase various items because "Its the perfect photo prop"; filling his barn with his "treasures". Garth and Billie enjoyed traveling in their motorhome to their favorite destinations in Key West, Florida and Mission, Texas. They often traveled with friends from the First Baptist Church of Charlotte, Michigan in which they were members. Garth enjoyed learning of his family history and traveled to Germany in 1991 with his sister and brother-in-law. Garth loved motor vehicles of all sorts and was a member of the Mid-Michigan Ford Model A Club. He owned two Model As and was bereft when he could no longer participate. He also worked on the Charlotte Dolson project and attended local car races whenever possible. He was truly a people person and enjoyed visiting and sharing stories. He will be missed. Garth is survived by his daughter, Kathleen (Robert) Lilley; grandchildren Lia (Austin Bookheimer) Lilley, Alex (Bella Tirtowalujo) Lilley; and sister, Beverly (Larry) McElfresh. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Billie; and sister Helen Unger. A memorial visitation will take place on November 15, 2018, from 4:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the favorite charity of the donors choice.