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What do you remember about Garrett?

Funny stories? Adventures? Special moments?

Please share your memories using this form.


I remember Garrett coming over to my house to do a spanish skit with my daughter, Chantel. It took us at least 8 hours to tape what should have only taken us 1 or 2 hours because our entire family was laughing so hard, we could never get it filmed. I remember him being sweet, showing great respect, and being a very nice young man. His family should be proud of the wonderful young man they raised, and know that God has a special place for young men like him. God bless his family in this hard time.

Heidi Hopper


There are so many things I remember about Garrett. I was 14 when he was born, and I was so proud to be his Aunt. His little chubby cheeks, and rolls on his legs never quit.

He was always the one to watch out for his sisters. He was tender, and genuinely cared about people. He was fiercely loyal. I will miss feeling Garretts arms around me. I loved his hugs. I loved how he would always help, and take care of whatever the situation was.

I will miss watching him play with my little 2 year old, Emily. He always would come take her from me, to give me a break, and because he loved her. She loved him dearly.

I will miss his smile, and his voice, and his laugh. Garrett always made me feel loved. I was so proud of him.

I love him with all my heart.

Someday Garrett... I can't wait to see you again.

xoxoxoxxo to the moon and back.

Love, Aunt Becky Becky Fife


Garrett asked me if he could take my public speaking class at CSN even though he was my nephew-in-law. I said yes only if he promised to work hard and not expect favoritism. I also told him he could not acknowledge that we were family and I wouldn't either. He agreed. He and Nate Workman were in the class together. I have several fond memories of those making the class laugh and making me squirm as we pretended to not know each other. I have the class fill out a get to know you form and put what name they want me to call them. Garrett wrote that he wanted to be called HoneyBunny. I protested. He said, "you're calling that guy Chuck, why can't I be HoneyBunny." Let's face it, Garrett is so charming I couldn't say no. My favorite memories are in the class when in the middle of a lecture Garrett would raise his hand. I would chuckle inside wondering what I was in for. Then I would say, "Yes, HoneyBunny." He would ask something like, "What do you think of your in-laws?" It was so random to the rest of the class and so funny to me that I would have a terrible time keeping a straight face and not giving it away. That good-natured joking made me always glad to see him whether it was at the ranch, in class, at the Fogged Inn, at family events or at a sporting event. What a terrible loss. I miss him already.

Thanks, Garrett, for being such a fun person and for welcoming me into the family with your big open arms. You are wonderful and I can't wait to see you again.

Love,
Michele Fogg (aunt-in-law, wife to Mike)

The Phillips Family took me, for a while, in after high school. I was lucky enough to be his "neighbor" in the basement. He filled my time there with lots of laughter, and he was my little bud (he was only about 13 at the time). He was one of the most tenderhearted and caring people I have ever come to know, even at such a young age, and if it were possible, these qualities grew with him. At a time when my life was crazy, he was my friend & I remember those times always with a smile.

--Ashley


Garrett was hilarious. He could make me laugh instantaneously. I first met him last year when he and Brandon came and stayed at my house in Hawaii. I can't think of a time in my life when I was more entertained. I also can't think of a time when I was more beat up because that boy loved to wrestle and he was good at it.

We'll miss you Garrett. God be with you til we meet again.

--Matt Newbold


Garrett was one of my favorite personal trainers. He was very, very funny. He was like a big brother to me, since I am an only child. I really miss Garrett. Everytime I go work out I would think, “Cool, I get to see Garrett!” But now I don't. The last time I saw Garrett was the day before he died. I could tell him everything. He was my Best Friend in the world. I am sad that he passed away.

-- Kayleigh Johnson

I remember when Garrett was 10 and he broke his leg playing football. The family had gone to St.George for the marathon and had taken the older kids. I was taking care of the little girls and Garrett. He was so bummed that he couldn't go but made the best of it by turning on the song "We Are The Champions" and blasting it on the stereo system throughout the whole house. I finally found him along with his little sisters jumping up and down on their mom and dads bed singing as loudly as they could. After they were done they all laughed so hard they fell onto the bed.

Garrett was always the happy one who could have fun and make others laugh in any situation he was in.

-- Michelle Knight-Langham



With a heavy heart I write this letter.

The loss of someone so young with so much potential is never an easy thing to accept and is possibly something that no one will ever understand. While human nature for people is to mourn the loss and be discouraged by how finite life really is, the best way to pay tribute to someone is to celebrate their life and honor their accomplishments.

Death puts life into perspective and if someone were to look closely at the life that Garrett Brent Phillips led, they would see someone who never let a day go by that he didn’t live it to the fullest. With the exuberance of the happiest middle schooler, Garrett made everyone feel welcome, joking with them and keeping them honest, while still letting them know that above nothing else, they were loved by him.

In the 14 years that I knew Garrett, he never left me without a smile. I could be in the worst of moods and Garrett would put his arm around me and get me to at least squeak out a sign of happiness. For me, football practice was never an enjoyable experience but even after the worst, longest practices, Garrett would get into the locker room, sit down next to me, and talk to me with all the exuberance and energy he could muster. He made everyone feel like they were his one and only concern.

While Garrett was known to many for his tan and hardened muscled exterior, to me, Garrett was someone with a heart larger than any muscle he so carefully built. Every moment of his life, Garrett’s heart lived outside his body, touching every single person who was lucky enough to be around him.

While Garrett and I spent many hours together, it was the few hours every week that I got to see him paint, that I realized his true genius. Like an eagle in effortless flight, Garrett moved the paint brush across the canvas with such ease that he almost looked lackadaisical. What started out as a hauntingly white canvas was something of shear genius after a few hours under Garrett’s skilled eye. That was his future; that is where he truly thrived.

After I learned of Garrett’s passing, all the moments I spent with him began to run through my mind and while the memories were numerous, there was one that I kept coming back to. After one of our football games, Garrett was leaving the field, the field where he displayed so much ferocity and passion. It seemed as if he had nothing left to give. That was one side of Garrett, the side the opponents knew. There was a very different side to him and someone was waiting at the cold gray gate on the winter night in Las Vegas who knew that side very well. It was his sister Summer and as her arms extended further and further to reach around Garrett’s pads, the ferocity he displayed on the field left just as quickly as it had come. He closed his eyes and hugged her back, thanked her for coming, and then moved on to do the same thing with everyone in his family, not losing any of the passion from one person to the next. That was the Garrett that I remember, that is the Garrett I honor today, and that is the Garrett I love.

Garrett’s untimely death is something no one who knew him can explain. There is no reason for it and there will never be an answer to why these things have to happen. There is only one certainty that has come out of this tragedy, and that is while many in the world today struggle to find to find love and passion, Garrett Brent Phillips not only was loved, but he exuded enough love to bring joy to everyone.

I will never forget even the simplest moments I had with Garrett. He was a loving brother, an honorable son, a perfect friend, and honestly, one of the best people I have ever come across in my life. As parents, you should be proud of the person he was but be more proud of the way he made other people feel.

--Daniel Merica


OUR ONE AND ONLY GARRETT

The first time I met this boy, I knew he was special.

He had a lust for life, a dose of mischief, a sense of humor beyond his years, and a spark for adventure. As I watched him grow from a darling little boy, to a handsome teen, to a beautiful young man, I knew he would make a difference in this world. At the time, I didn't know exactly what he was going to do to make his mark, but I knew the world was a better place because Garrett Brent Phillips passed through.

He made me smile everytime I saw him. He would come to dinner at our house, and he would have all of us laughing so hard tears would stream from our faces. He was so clever. He was so imaginative. He was so unique. WE ALL LOVED HIM.

This is a boy who never felt awkward demonstrating his feelings, and showing his emotions. While some young boys hold back their hugs and any displays of affection, our Garrett never did. Whenever he saw me, he would give me the biggest hug ever, and never left me without showing his affection through just one more hug. He did this same thing with my son, Daniel, who is 6'5", as well as my two daughters, Michelle and Jaclyn. He never allowed you to feel unappreciated or unloved.

Everyone thinks of Garrett as being this great athlete, and strong, muscular guy. But, that was merely his exterior shell. Oh yes, he was a great athlete, and he certainly was passionate about his body building; but the real passion and talent of Garrett was his art. He was a genius in this regard. This was his true God-Given talent, and one that I truly believed would take him to the place of peace that we all long for in our lives.

So, as I now reflect back and think about the mark Garrett has already left in his young life, it would be his ART and his HEART. His huge and beautiful heart is what we will miss the most. His Art is his gift to the world.

My prayer to Garrett is that he is in Heaven, continuing to give hugs and making everyone feel so loved and so appreciated for who they are. My prayer to Garrett is that he is telling his stories, being his unique and imaginative self, and bringing smiles to the faces of so many…just as he did on Earth. And, my prayer to Garrett is that God has a beautiful Art Studio waiting for him, so that his true talent could be expressed and nurtured for eternity. My prayer to Garrett is that he completely knows how much he is loved, honored, and respected for being the incredibly unique and special boy that he has always been.

How do we go on without Garrett? How does Linda, Brent, Brittany, Brandon, Amber, Nicole, Danielle, McCall, and Summer ever go a day without missing him and wishing he was with them sharing that beautiful family life that they are so blessed to have? How does his darling nephews and all his cousins understand why their "Gare Bear" was taken from them? And how do his young friends, like my own children, understand why this would happen and not forever feel the ache in their hearts that many have yet to experience in their young lives? And how do "moms" like me, who loved Garrett and saw all the good, the beautiful, the uniqueness, and the special gifts that he had---not wonder "why God would take him so soon"? How do we all go on without feeling this emptiness and painful loss? The truth is that we don't. We will forever feel the pain. Linda, Brent, and all their beautiful children will forever wish Garrett was with them on every family trip, every celebration and special occasion, and every moment of laughter and love. His friends will forever wish he was there to hang out, play poker, or just text him a brief message. I will always wish he could come to dinner just one more time, and be the recipient of our "special plate".

But, what we will all have is the lessons that Garrett taught us in his short life…Live life to the fullest; Embrace your loved ones and never be afraid to show your love for them; Make people smile and lighten their lives with laughter; Don't be afraid to be unique, your own person, or color outside the lines of life; Always stay on that journey of being the best you can be.

We will all miss you Garrett Brent Phillips. We will all remember you with such love. We will tell your stories and laugh just as we did with you. We will wish we could have just five more minutes with you to tell you all the things we feel. We wish there was just one more work of art that we could touch and embrace. And most of all, we will miss that huge and beautiful heart that you gave so freely. You made all of our lives better just by being you.

My love always,

Diane Dickerson



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