On Tuesday, June 10th, we buried McComb native Christopher Garner, the son of Bill and Monica, big brother of my wife Greta, and father of Simmons, Sam and Grace.
At 55, Chris was taken suddenly and too soon. As heartbreaking as the funeral was, though, one positive stood out.
Several people (some who’d driven hours to Hollywood Cemetery) walked up after the service to console family members — and then to tell us that they were only standing there today because of the help Chris had offered them in times of personal crisis, either as their therapist or their friend.
Others just wanted us to know that he was always there when they needed him, always worried about them when no one else sensed anything was wrong. These were deeply personal admissions, but ones they felt compelled to pass on to Chris’ loved ones.
Due to the nature of his job — a psychologist of 20 years — Chris never talked about his patients, and we never asked. But June 10 left me wondering if my brother-in-law knew how many lives he'd touched and saved, both directly and through the young therapists he mentored at LSU and sent out into the world? I hope he did. I hope he understood the profound effect he had.
Chris was a lifelong fan of comics and comic book heroes. I hope he knew that some heroes wear glasses instead of capes, and their greatest power is coaxing you into a conversation that could save or change your life.
If I could talk to Chris right now, I’d tell him exactly what he once told his hero, Stan Lee, when he met him a number of years ago at a comic book convention: “You dropped a big pebble in the pond.”
Chris, those ripples will keep growing for generations. Thank you, Dr. Garner. We miss you.
Eric Flynt, New Orleans
