Dayle Garlock, retired forester, passed away at his home in Atlanta, Michigan on July 15, 2023 at the age of 74.
Born on May 19, 1949 to parents Harlan Garlock and Marjorie (Crouse) Garlock, Dayle’s skills, attitude, and goliath stature naturally led him to play football as a lineman at Reed City High School and Central Michigan University. Later in life he served as a volunteer coach and member of the chain gang for Atlanta football and rarely missed a Big 10 game. Dayle grew up with a love for nature and animals, which led him to pursue BS and MS degrees in Forestry from Michigan State University. After a 34-year career with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Dayle retired in 2010.
While working as a forester in the Upper Peninsula, Dayle met fellow forester, Nancy Havlik, and the two were married on August 30, 1980. Dayle passed on his love of the outdoors to his three children: Rebecca (Garlock) Ong, Robin (Garlock) Bennett, and Kevin Garlock. Some of his family’s fondest memories are spending time with him fishing, hunting, gardening, watching sci-fi, baking chocolate chip cookies, and just being goofy. In his free time, Dayle served as a member and President of the School Board at Atlanta Community Schools and was a stalwart member of many hunting and conservation organizations. Following retirement, Dayle served as Treasurer for the local branch of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), furthering conservation efforts and preservation of hunting opportunities for future generations.
In addition to his wife, children and their spouses; Dayle is survived by his sister, Marilyn (Garlock) Kohler, four energetic grandchildren, and three dogs. A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 28th. In place of flowers, the family requests that a legacy gift be made in Dayle’s honor to the NWTF (https://your.nwtf.org/members/donate/ OR NWTF, P.O. Box 530, 770 Augusta Rd., Edgefield, SC 29824) care of Nancy Garlock, P.O. Box 59, Atlanta, MI 49709.
