Garrett William Cronin

Garrett William Cronin, 26, left us unexpectedly on January 21st at his family home, a victim of a pulmonary embolism linked to a lifelong medical condition. Known as the “G-man” and “Gare-Bear,” Garrett's quiet personality and tall presence-standing 6’11”-left a lasting impression on all who knew him. His gentle spirit and the memories of his life in Bozeman, Big Sky, and Bridger Bowl will continue to inspire and comfort his loved ones.

Garrett was a talented skier, guitarist, and pen-and-ink artist who enjoyed golf, fly fishing, rafting, glasswork, and photography. Garrett and his family had many wonderful days on the slopes skiing Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, and the surrounding backcountry. These memories will sustain his family in his absence. One of Garrett’s great passions was live music shows. He also had a mountain biking “era” and loved family trips to Fruita to ride and camp in their ruby-red VW van. It was Garrett’s idea to get a van when he was seven, and he motivated many family adventures in the van and beyond. Garrett inspired his family by creating “bucket lists” for their travels, including visiting the last standing Old Growth Sitka Spruce Tree on Vancouver Island, seeing Beluga and Orca whales, roaming the San Juan Islands, finding dinosaur tracks, and experiencing the wonders of Southern Utah. Garrett also inspired hikes to see red lava flowing, giant tree ferns in New Zealand, lava tubes, and skateboarding down the winding road from Haleakala on Maui.

Some of Garrett’s best qualities were his sly sense of humor, his love for animals, especially the family dogs, and his immersive deep dives into specific fields of knowledge. One of his best experiences with his grandfather was helping restore and drive Lonnie’s 1927 Ford Model A. He enjoyed local trivia nights and would do quite well when the topics fell within one of his areas of expertise. Because of his differences, Garrett was sometimes misunderstood, which created challenges that affected his self-esteem, how he related to others, and his decision-making. His family hopes he will find peace, joy, love, and the warm embrace of friendship on the other side of this life.

Garrett attended grade school at Ophir in Big Sky, Montana, and moved to Bozeman when he started 7th grade, where he finished high school in the class of 2017. Garrett worked on the grounds crew of several area golf courses. He found good friendships among the golf community. He also worked in several different cannabis businesses in Bozeman.

His family and friends loved him deeply, and he will be sorely missed. Garrett is survived by his parents, Melissa (Ball) and Packy Cronin; his sister, Frances Cronin; and his grandparents, Lonnie and Mary Ball, and Paul F. Cronin.

May the Lord bless his soul and keep Garrett in love and light.

Regards to Fort Ellis Fire Department, AMR, Gallatin County Coroner, and the Sheriff’s Department for their care and response.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2 PM on Saturday, January 31st, at Dahl Funeral & Cremation Service, 300 Highland Blvd, Bozeman, MT 59715.