Obituary of Buford W. Garner

Buford W. Garner, age 92, of Iowa City, died Monday, December 1, 2008, at the Solon Nursing Care Center in Solon, Iowa. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 12:00 noon Saturday, December 6, 2008 at Gay & Ciha Funeral Home at 2720 Muscatine Avenue, Iowa City, IA. The family will greet friends one hour prior to the services and following at a reception that will be held at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Iowa City Hospice or the Parish Nurse Program at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. Online condolences may be sent for his family through the web at gayandciha.com. Buford Garner was born on November 28, 1916 in Winston, Missouri, the son of Harl and Byrda (Pennington) Garner. He graduated from high school in Winston, received his B.A. from Northwest Missouri State University, and his M.A. from the University of Kansas City. On August 10, 1939, Buford married Bernice Marlatt. Buford Garner held several teaching and administrative positions in Missouri before moving to Iowa City in 1950 to become principal of City High School. From 1952-1969, he was the Superintendent of Schools in Iowa City. He continued his educational administration career at the State Department of Public Instruction in Des Moines, Grinnell Public Schools, and Area Education Agency #16 (now Great Prairie AEA) in Fort Madison before retirement in 1981. Notable awards and recognition he received were an Honorary Doctorate in Education from Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, IA in 1978, a Distinguished Alumni Award from Northwest Missouri State University in 1980, and induction into the City High Hall of Fame in 2000. Garner was an avid sports enthusiast, community volunteer, and traveler. He was a member of St. Mark’s Methodist Church, active over the years in the United Methodist Church Iowa Conference in several leadership roles as well as a member of the Lions’ Club, the Masonic Lodge and numerous education-related organizations. His family includes his wife Bernice; children, Sue (Jim) Updegraff of West Union, IA, Janie (Steve) Schomberg of Iowa City, IA, and Jac (Edye) Garner of Madison, WI; grandchildren Anne (Randy Armentrout) Updegraff, John (Ellen Wheeler) Schomberg, Sarah Updegraff, Laura (Jim) Jacobus, Andrew (Melissa) Garner and Allyson Garner; 6 great-grandchildren; brother John (Roberta) Garner of Lancaster, PA; 1 niece; 3 nephews; and great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Mary Virginia Croy and Jo Ann Stonner. Special thanks to Carol Tippe, Parish Nurse, St. Mark’s Methodist Church and Iowa City Hospice for their care and compassion during his illness.