Garland Eugene Laird
Sept. 28, 1943 – Jan. 24, 2025
Garland Eugene Laird, 81, passed away on Jan. 24, 2025, peacefully in his home surrounded by his wife Mary, family and friends. Garland fought a long tough battle against COPD and pneumonia for nearly 10 years.
Garland was born Sept. 28, 1943, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Dorthy and Herman Eugene Laird. Garland attended school in Woodward, Iowa, where he met the love of his life, Mary Agnus Christenson. Garland joined the Army in July of 1961, attended basic training in Ft. Knox, Ky., and later shipped to Germany as a track vehicle mechanic. After getting out of the Army he asked Mary to marry him. They got married Nov. 7, 1964. During their 60 years of marriage, they lived in several places in Iowa where Garland was part of the local police and fire departments in Woodward, Iowa. He later took a job with Oscar Mayer outside of Perry, Iowa. During this time Garland and Mary had three amazing sons, Mike, Troy and Travis.
In the summer of 1976 Garland and Mary and boys took a vacation to the beautiful state of Wyoming; they fell in love with the state and were living there by the summer of 1977. Garland started working for Gordan Sykes of Sykes Construction in Basin, Wyo., for several years and later worked for Glen Hopkin in the Torch Light oil field and LAMAX construction as operator and truck driver combined over 20 years, before moving back to Perry, Iowa to help take care of is aging parents. While in Iowa, Garland worked at a chicken hatching facility, where he confiscated a baby chicken for his granddaughter to raise, then as a maintenance facility repairman where he loved working with children with special needs and drove dump truck for a local contractor.
In 2018, they then moved back to Wyoming to retire in Greybull, where he was known as the man driving his Cadillac “riding lawn mower” around town taking the time to stop and visit with anyone that would give him an ear. It may have taken him 30 minutes to get across town to the grocery store for a gallon of milk, but he got it done and loved every minute of it. In his free time, you could find him on the Big Horn River fishing for catfish or going to Meeteetse to Sunshine Reservoir to catch a few trout for dinner. He loved the outdoors; if you had the opportunity to hear stories he would talk about his grandchildren and trips they made to stay with him Iowa. If you were really lucky, he would tell you about his fishing trips and hunting trips with his three sons.
Garland is survived by his amazing wife of 60 years, Mary Laird; his sons, Mike Laird (Andrea) of Greybull, Wyo., Troy Laird (Tina) of Laramie, Wyo., and Travis Laird (Monique) of Manawa, Wis.; granddaughter Brianna Laird of Greybull, Wyo., grandson Lee Laird Brown (Josh) of Arkansas, granddaughter Darcie Laird Scheinberg (Josh) of North Carolina, grandson DJ Laird, great-grandson Axel Laird and great-granddaughter Hazel Laird of Colorado, sister Marth Laird Peters (Jerry) of Perry, Iowa, and brother Gordan Laird (Rhonda) of Perry Iowa, and several nieces and nephews.
Garland is preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, Gail, Gary and Allen, and grandson Brendon Laird.
Services will be held at a later date when the weather is warmer and roads are better for safe travels when we can all get together for a celebration of life.
In the words of Garland “IT’S FIVE O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE,” “let’s have a whiskey”, “CHEERS.” Cards or letters can be sent to Mary Laird at 425 2nd Ave. South, Greybull, WY 82426.