James A. Garrity

1937-2020

"Shabba dabba doo" were the three words James "Jim" Aloysius Garrity would proclaim when walking through the front door after each work day.  His three children and wife looked forward to those words as it was an open invitation to run into his arms to welcome him home, marking the end of a work day and the start of family time.

Jim Garrity was raised in Yonkers son of Judge Harold Thomas Garrity and Mary Broderick Garrity, the youngest of four children.  His sisters, Maryann Hagelin (who preceded him into heaven) and Kathy Cook kept him honest, while, and his brother Matthew Garrity kept him in trouble. Growing up in Westchester County, New York, Jim was an All-American swimmer when he graduated Roosevelt High School. He attended and graduated from Notre Dame where he was on the university's first swim team.  He held a number of school records in the backstroke that were unchallenged for many years.

Out of college, Jim served as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army's 4 ^th Armoured Division.  Those who knew Jim were quick to learn about his time in tanks roaming the German countryside.

Following a successful tour of duty in the Army, Jim returned to New York where he met his wife Andrea Schlick Garrity.  The two were set-up on a blind date thanks to their respective parents who were part of the same weekly bridge club.  Jim and Andrea were married in 1963 and moved across the country to the San Francisco Bay Area where he earned a Masters in Business Administration from Stanford.  While in the banking industry, the family grew to include three children: Tom Garrity from Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jim Garrity of Los Angeles, California; and Shauna Garrity James of Naperville, Illinois.

While in California, Jim and his father were flying a small aircraft when the altimeter became disabled while flying in fog.  The result was a horrendous plane crash that mobilized rescue aircraft from the United States Navy and many medical teams.  Their respected survival and different levels of recovery served as an inspiration to many.

An avid piano player and all-round people person, the Garrity's eventually moved from California to Texas where they resided in their home of many decades in North Houston.

In business, Jim spent 15 years as a commercial banker and more than 43 years in the commercial/industrial real estate market working for Cushman & Wakefield as well as his own company Garrity Commercial Real Estate. In his role as a commercial/industrial broker, Jim was known as Houston's Land-Man; meaning he was a walking encyclopedia of Houston's available parcels and their respective owners.

He also served as a member of the Notre Dame National Board of Directors for many years as well as:  a former president of the board for Performing Arts of North Houston as well as a supporter of The A.R.K. Group (an organization that helps adults relate to children in caring, supportive ways) Knights of Columbus and served as the president of the Northern California Jaycees.

To use the word "was" would cut short the legacy that Jim and wife Andrea Garrity made over their 57 years of marriage together raising three children and cheering on all of their eight grandchildren: Father James Garrity, Brother Jeffrey Garrity, Emily Garrity, Katelyn James, Casey Garrity, Kendall James, Garrett James and Jackson James. In addition to grandchildren, Jim was a friend and mentor to his son-in-law David James (husband to Shauna), Karen Armstrong (fiancé to Jim) and Jackie Garrity (former wife of Tom).

In his final years, Jim focused on philanthropy, engaging in the lives of his grandchildren and becoming a connoisseur doughnuts.  Regardless of the time in his life, Jim was always quick with a complement, an act of service and would always get excited and rally or to cheer his alma mater getting excited each time he heard the Notre Dame Victory March:

Rally sons of Notre Dame

Sing her glory and sound her fame

Raise her Gold and Blue

And cheer with voices true:

Rah, rah, for Notre Dame

We will fight in every game,

Strong of heart and true to her name

We will ne'er forget her

And will cheer her ever

Loyal to Notre Dame.

Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame,

Wake up the echoes cheering her name,

Send a volley cheer on high,

Shake down the thunder from the sky!

What though the odds be great or small,

Old Notre Dame will win overall,

While her loyal sons are marching

Onward to victory!

A Funeral Mass and burial will occur in the coming months at the family plot in New York City, New York. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made in Jim's name to: CarePartners, 701 N. Post Oak Rd., Ste. 330, Houston, TX 77024. Tor online through https://www.carepartnerstexas.org/support-carepartners/donate/ The organizations work through The Gathering Place program was a big help to Jim through his battle with Dementia.