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STEPHEN GARST
- From the Coon Rapids Enterprise
Stephen died of Alzheimer's Disease on Saturday, January 10, 2004.
Stephen, son of Roswell and Elizabeth Henak Garst, was born December 16, 1924, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He graduated from Coon Rapids High School in 1943. He served as a paratrooper during World War II.
Stephen married Mary Garst in 1949 in Jefferson, Iowa, and earned a degree in geography from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California the following year. They
returned to Coon Rapids, where Stephen managed farming, banking and other family interests until 2002.
Throughout his life, Stephen was active in community, county, and state affairs. He
worked as an agricultural consultant in Eastern Europe and Indonesia in the 1960's. He served as a commissioner for the Iowa Department of Transportation, on the State of Iowa School Budget Review Committee, as a Trustee of Simpson College, and was active in the Iowa Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood. He was a strong advocate of equal rights for women. He was very involved in Democratic Party politics throughout his life. Stephen served on the Carroll County Conservation Board from its charter 1958 through 1999 and received numerous environmental and soil conservation awards, including the Lawrence and Eula Hagie Heritage Award from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation in 1996. The description of why he won that award summarizes many of his characteristics and accomplishments. "Steve was active both publicly and privately in promoting wildlife habitat, recreational trails and environmental education.”
While he was president of the board, Steve oversaw the establishment of 24 park and recreation areas covering 2,300 acres in Carroll County. He was recognized for his enthusiasm for developing natural resource projects, his leadership in carrying out those projects, and his desire to share his knowledge and love of nature with others. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, and land conservation.
He is survived by his wife Mary Garst of Coon Rapids; six children and six
grandchildren: Elizabeth (Liz) Garst of Coon Rapids; Edward Garst of Coon Rapids; Dr. Sarah Garst of West Des Moines and her son Reuben; Rachel Garst of Coon Rapids and her children Enrique, Ana and Helen; Dr. Kate Garst and her husband Steven Trampe of Seattle, WA, and their children Nora and Owen; and Dr Jennifer Garst and her husband Steve Libbey of Ames; brother David Garst of Coon Rapids; three sisters, Jane Kamps and Mary Garst of California; Antonia (Tosh) Lee and her husband Harold of London, England.
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