Brandon Garson

Michael Reed

College Friend/Work Friend

Brandon's Funeral Service - Cleveland, Ohio

January 6, 2006

 

I first met Brandon 10 years ago.  I was walking down the hallway in a dorm at Duke – and I heard a commotion.  I looked around the corner and there was a circle of students of playing cards on the hallway floor.  As I approached, I could see that the card dealer was arguing with one of the players.  The dealer had big shoulders and skinny legs and his face was red with emotion.  Feeling my stare, he looked up and asked, “Do you want to play?”  Can you guess who the dealer was?

 

That was how I first met Brandon Garson.

 

Looking back now, I can see that the moment was quintessential Brandon.  He was exuberant, strong-willed, and full of life.

 

But there’s a lot more to Brandon Garson than that.  

 

Over the past 3 years I believe I spent more time with Brandon than anyone else.  We worked at the same company in Miami Beach, and we even lived down the hall from each other in the same condo building on South Beach.  We spent the majority of our free time together – countless lunches, dinners, sporting events, and nights just hanging out and talking.

 

I feel I have a special understanding of the man Brandon Garson was and was becoming.  I’ve picked 4 key words to describe the Brandon Garson I knew to you.

 

The first word is… 

 

Leader – 

 

Brandon was a strong leader at LNR, the company where we both worked in Miami Beach.  At only 29 years old was regarded as one of the expert professionals at LNR.  He recently sat on an expert panel at an industry conference in New York – and he was by far the youngest member of the panel.  

 

Even more importantly, Brandon brought passion to his work.  I remember one meeting where Brandon was debating the merits of a potential asset, and a senior LNR executive said with a smile, “Brandon, I don’t always agree with you…but you sure say it with a lot of conviction!”  That was Brandon – full of passion.

 

Further, Brandon cared tremendously about the development of junior professionals at LNR.  I can’t tell you how many times I walked by his office and saw 4 or 5 or 6 junior professionals crowded around Brandon’s desk as he explained a key concept.  Often after such teaching sessions, Brandon would emerge from office and ask me, “Do you think so-and-so is getting it?”  He was so focused on sharing his knowledge with others. 

 

Finally, I have received countless emails and calls from LNR employees over the past few days extending their sympathies.  Brandon was a true leader and had many friends at LNR.

 

The second word I would use to describe Brandon is…

 

Community -- 

 

Brandon loved Cleveland and he loved Miami.

 

Sometimes during work meeting we’d discuss potentials investments in the Cleveland area.  And, it was a running joke that Brandon’s opinions must be disregarded – because he had no objectivity when it came to his hometown!

 

Recently, Brandon decided to put his roots down in Miami.  He bought his first home in Miami Beach.  Brandon was also involved with volunteer work at a local public school in Miami.  The school is an elementary school for mostly underprivileged children where Brandon could tutor them in math, science, and reading.

 

Brandon was just starting to put his roots down in Miami and share his many gifts with that community.

 

The third word is…

 

Family --   

 

Brandon adored his family.  He often said to me how much he enjoyed living so near his mother.  We would often sit in his office on Friday afternoons and discuss our plans for the weekend.  He would always seem so happy if he had lunch or a round of golf planned with his mother.  He loved his sisters as well – and was absolutely thrilled when Raleigh had her first child, Jane, recently.  I talked to him about Jane recently and he couldn’t stop talking about how great she is and how much fun it is to spend time with her.

 

Brandon was truly a family man.

 

The fourth word is….

 

Loyal – 

 

Speaking as a friend of Brandon for 10 years, I can tell you there was nothing that endeared Brandon more to his friends than his loyalty.  If you needed Brandon Garson – he was there for you, no questions asked.

 

For example, in the winter of 2003 I was living in New York and wanted a change of scenery.  It was Brandon who understood my situation and arranged an interview for me at his new company in Miami Beach – LNR.  That’s how I came to live in Miami.  I thank Brandon for that.

 

But perhaps my favorite memory of Brandon is when my family was visiting me in Miami and we planned to attend a black-tie function.  I didn’t own a tuxedo and I asked Brandon if he knew of a tux shop in town.  He paused for a moment and said, “I’ll ask around.”  

 

Later that night there was a knock at my door – and there was Brandon, holding a beautiful black tux.  He stood in my doorway and said, “My father had 2 tuxedos, I want you to have one.”  I can’t tell you how much that meant to me.

 

That was Brandon Garson.  He was: 

 

A leader,

Community-minded,

A family man,

And, a loyal friend to those lucky enough to know him.

 

I’d like to close with a prayer very special to me and my family.  This prayer is often read at family gatherings.  And, I considered Brandon like a brother – so I’d like to share it with you here.

 

A Prayer for this Day

By: Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Lord, behold the family and friends here assembled.  We thank thee for this place in which we gather; for the love which unites us; for the peace accorded us this day; for the hope with which we expect the morrow; for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies that make our lives delightful; for our friends in all parts of the earth, and our friendly helpers in this very place.

 

Give us courage, gaiety, and the quiet mind.  Spare us to our friends, soften us to our enemies.  Bless us, if it may be, in all our innocent endeavors.  If it may not, give us the strength to encounter that which is to come, that we be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath, and, in all changes of fortune and down to the gates of death, loyal and loving to one another.  Amen.