Rex Carlton Garr
Aug. 5, 1932-April 24, 2024
Palo Alto, California
Rex Carlton Garr, a devoted family man, veteran, and accomplished engineer, passed away on April 24th, 2024 at Stanford Hospital at the age of 91.
Rex was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on August 5, 1932. At the age of 12, following the loss of his mother to cancer, Rex moved with his father and brother to Los Angeles. After completing high school, he joined the Air Force at the outset of the Korean War, serving as a radar instructor in Mississippi for four years.
Upon returning to California, Rex pursued higher education, first at UCLA and then transferring to Cal Berkeley, where he earned a B.S. in Engineering Physics. He was honored with membership in Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society. However, he always said that the greatest honor of his time in Berkeley was meeting and marrying Ann Skoglund. Rex and Ann were happily married for 66 years.
Rex began his professional career at Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles. He then moved back to Northern California to join Lockheed, where he enjoyed a 30-year career as a research specialist. He made significant contributions to satellite communications and telemetry systems, culminating in his work on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Despite his professional accomplishments, Rex's proudest achievement was his family. He was a devoted father to his sons, David and Brian, occasionally leaving work early to play ball or games with them. Later, when he had grandchildren, he retired early so he could spend more time with them.
Rex is preceded in death by his son Brian. He is survived by his loving wife, Ann; his son, David, and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth; grandchildren Katherine and Lucy; his daughter-in-law, April, and grandchildren Darin (Rose), Elisa, Nathan, Joshua; and great-grandson Harrison.
Rex will be remembered for his wit, unwavering support of all Bay Area sports teams, and above all, the profound love he had for his family and friends.
We'd love for you to share a memory or words of love about Rex -- please send them to dave_garr@yahoo.com.
Instead of flowers, contributions in Rex's memory can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). A celebration of his life will be held in June.
Tags: veteran
