1927
Garnett
2013
Garnett Best
October 27, 1927 — July 31, 2013
A Life of Service
On October 27, 1927, Garnett Skeete Best began his life's journey on the beautiful Caribbean island nation of Barbados, British West Indies.He was the second born child of sugar cane factory manager Garnett Milton Best and stay-at- home mother, Edith Ursula (Skeete) Best. In the early years, Garnett shared an idyllic childhood in the tropics with his three sisters, Jean, Joan, and Pat. Later the family welcomed another baby boy, Tony, who would eventually follow in his big brother's footsteps and become a physician in Germany.
Garnett, known as "Jack" by friends and family in Barbados, excelled in his private, all-boys school called Harrison College where he studied mathematics, sciences of all kinds, Latin and French. So rigorous was his Harrison College education that when Garnett later attended Howard University in Washington D.C., he breezed through the college program, graduating from Howard in just two years. Garnett often remarked that his beloved Harrison College high school was much harder than his university studies at Howard.
When young Garnett was not in school, he enjoyed lingering on Barbados' white sandy beaches, sometimes swimming, boating, spear-fishing, or cooling from the hot Bajan sun in little huts he personally made from coconut tree branches. Jack would often outfit these beach huts with tables and chairs he built himself. Biking, playing cricket, and playing basketball for the Harrison College Old Boys were also favorite pastimes for young Garnett. He was also a competitive soccer player who once had an opportunity to play for the national team. Music was a part of his life from his childhood. Calypso and steel drum music brought him great joy throughout his life even though his father instilled in young Garnett an appreciation for the classics; Bach, Beethoven, and others.
As a young man in Barbados during the early 1950's, Garnett started his career as a government certified surveyor and draftsman, comparable to the role of a civil engineer in the U.S. In this capacity, Garnett designed plans for many schools and roads. Garnett's attention to detail and love for architecture led him to design homes where the entire Best family lived at Riverhead and Havelock. As Garnett worked, he enjoyed seeing the fruits of his labor in the buildings and roads he had designed.
Yet, he sensed that he was destined for more. Garnett often reminisced about watching helplessly as his dear mother struggled to survive through asthmaattacks that threatened to take her life. He felt called to help his Mum and anyone else he might be able to help if he became a physician. Garnett's Uncle Curtis Skeete was a physician in New York and Garnett decided he would do whatever it took to become a physician himself.
And so, by the 1950's, Garnett found himself a transplant from his tiny island home to the bustle of New York, City. From New York, Garnett moved to Washington D.C., and graduated college. During his time in D.C., Garnett met Lillian Dolores Day, who was teaching school at the time and whose father was also a physician. They married on December 28, 1960 and moved to Heidelberg Germany. Garnett had been accepted into the University of Heidelberg Medical School, one of the best medical programs in the world. This medical program was taught exclusively in German, a language which Garnett had no knowledge of.
Not to let the language barrier, or any barrier stop him from achieving what he had been called to do, Garnett attended the German language school in Germany where he learned German in about a year. The following year, he entered the University of Heidelberg and later graduated with a medical degree. Garnett alsocompleted his residency in Heidelberg.
While in Germany, his two children, Roger Eric, born in 1966 and Christel Dolores, born 1967 joined the family. In 1968, Dr. Garnett S. Best and his young family returned to the U.S. and settled in Cleveland.As a foreign medical school graduate, Dr. Best also had to complete his American residency as physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology which he did at St. Luke's Hospital in Cleveland.
In 1975, Dr. Best joined the medical staff at Kaiser Permanente where he practiced medicine in Parma and Cleveland Heights for 22 years as an accomplished obstetrician gynecologist. Dr. Best's family often felt a surge of pride when apparent strangers would approach him and express their gratitude for all he had done to help them with a difficult pregnancy and/or delivery. The soft-spoken Dr. Best was a favorite among patients, colleagues, and co-workers, and received a steady flow of thank-you letters, accolades, and gifts from patients. Dr. Best did not forget his Mum, and followed up with her to make sure that she was receiving the asthma medications she needed.
In 1985, Garnett married Miriam Hickok, a registered nurse. Through Miriam, Garnett had four step children, Craig, Mark (deceased), Amy and Jeff. Together, Garnett and Miriam, now both retired as of 1997, enjoyed travelling in the U.S., Europe, and of course in Garnett's cherished Barbados. Garnett also enjoyed boating on Lake Erie with Miriam. Garnett was fascinated by real-life courtroom television shows and often joked that he should become an attorney.
In 1996, Dr. Best earned the new title of Grandpa as he welcomed his first grandson Jackson into the world. Sixteen months later, grandson Clayton joined the family. Grandpa reveled in his role as grandfather; and eagerly attended countless sporting events, concerts, plays and church ceremonies involving "Masters" Jackson and Clayton.
Raised in the Anglican Church in Barbados, Dr. Best was committed to his faith throughout adulthood. He was a lay reader at his church in Germany where he read scriptures to the congregation in German. Later, heshared his commitment to his faith with his pre-teen children, Roger and Christel, who were laterconfirmed in the Episcopal Church. Garnett attended Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio for over 30 years.
From a tiny island in the Caribbean came this incredible larger-than-life man of medicine, Dr. Garnett S.Best, who was committed to excellence, professionalism, family, and faith. He was, and is, a role model to his children and grandchildren, instilling in them the values of hard work, education, ethics, discipline, love, and the refusal to allow foreign language, geography, race, or any other social barrier to steal their dreams, leaving them a legacy of honor and the highest of standards.
Left to mourn Garnett's passing are his beloved wife Miriam, his two adoring children Roger and Christel, grandsons, Jackson and Clayton and step-children, Craig, Amy and Jeffrey. Garnett also leaves behind his cherished sister Jean Livingstone and her husband Richmond as well as his brother, Wilton Anthony and his wife Joanna along with his nephew Raymond, niece Natascha and her husband Max Burger.
PDF Printable Version
On October 27, 1927, Garnett Skeete Best began his life's journey on the beautiful Caribbean island nation of Barbados, British West Indies.He was the second born child of sugar cane factory manager Garnett Milton Best and stay-at- home mother, Edith Ursula (Skeete) Best. In the early years, Garnett shared an idyllic childhood in the tropics with his three sisters, Jean, Joan, and Pat. Later the family welcomed another baby boy, Tony, who would eventually follow in his big brother's footsteps and become a physician in Germany.
Garnett, known as "Jack" by friends and family in Barbados, excelled in his private, all-boys school called Harrison College where he studied mathematics, sciences of all kinds, Latin and French. So rigorous was his Harrison College education that when Garnett later attended Howard University in Washington D.C., he breezed through the college program, graduating from Howard in just two years. Garnett often remarked that his beloved Harrison College high school was much harder than his university studies at Howard.
When young Garnett was not in school, he enjoyed lingering on Barbados' white sandy beaches, sometimes swimming, boating, spear-fishing, or cooling from the hot Bajan sun in little huts he personally made from coconut tree branches. Jack would often outfit these beach huts with tables and chairs he built himself. Biking, playing cricket, and playing basketball for the Harrison College Old Boys were also favorite pastimes for young Garnett. He was also a competitive soccer player who once had an opportunity to play for the national team. Music was a part of his life from his childhood. Calypso and steel drum music brought him great joy throughout his life even though his father instilled in young Garnett an appreciation for the classics; Bach, Beethoven, and others.
As a young man in Barbados during the early 1950's, Garnett started his career as a government certified surveyor and draftsman, comparable to the role of a civil engineer in the U.S. In this capacity, Garnett designed plans for many schools and roads. Garnett's attention to detail and love for architecture led him to design homes where the entire Best family lived at Riverhead and Havelock. As Garnett worked, he enjoyed seeing the fruits of his labor in the buildings and roads he had designed.
Yet, he sensed that he was destined for more. Garnett often reminisced about watching helplessly as his dear mother struggled to survive through asthmaattacks that threatened to take her life. He felt called to help his Mum and anyone else he might be able to help if he became a physician. Garnett's Uncle Curtis Skeete was a physician in New York and Garnett decided he would do whatever it took to become a physician himself.
And so, by the 1950's, Garnett found himself a transplant from his tiny island home to the bustle of New York, City. From New York, Garnett moved to Washington D.C., and graduated college. During his time in D.C., Garnett met Lillian Dolores Day, who was teaching school at the time and whose father was also a physician. They married on December 28, 1960 and moved to Heidelberg Germany. Garnett had been accepted into the University of Heidelberg Medical School, one of the best medical programs in the world. This medical program was taught exclusively in German, a language which Garnett had no knowledge of.
Not to let the language barrier, or any barrier stop him from achieving what he had been called to do, Garnett attended the German language school in Germany where he learned German in about a year. The following year, he entered the University of Heidelberg and later graduated with a medical degree. Garnett alsocompleted his residency in Heidelberg.
While in Germany, his two children, Roger Eric, born in 1966 and Christel Dolores, born 1967 joined the family. In 1968, Dr. Garnett S. Best and his young family returned to the U.S. and settled in Cleveland.As a foreign medical school graduate, Dr. Best also had to complete his American residency as physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology which he did at St. Luke's Hospital in Cleveland.
In 1975, Dr. Best joined the medical staff at Kaiser Permanente where he practiced medicine in Parma and Cleveland Heights for 22 years as an accomplished obstetrician gynecologist. Dr. Best's family often felt a surge of pride when apparent strangers would approach him and express their gratitude for all he had done to help them with a difficult pregnancy and/or delivery. The soft-spoken Dr. Best was a favorite among patients, colleagues, and co-workers, and received a steady flow of thank-you letters, accolades, and gifts from patients. Dr. Best did not forget his Mum, and followed up with her to make sure that she was receiving the asthma medications she needed.
In 1985, Garnett married Miriam Hickok, a registered nurse. Through Miriam, Garnett had four step children, Craig, Mark (deceased), Amy and Jeff. Together, Garnett and Miriam, now both retired as of 1997, enjoyed travelling in the U.S., Europe, and of course in Garnett's cherished Barbados. Garnett also enjoyed boating on Lake Erie with Miriam. Garnett was fascinated by real-life courtroom television shows and often joked that he should become an attorney.
In 1996, Dr. Best earned the new title of Grandpa as he welcomed his first grandson Jackson into the world. Sixteen months later, grandson Clayton joined the family. Grandpa reveled in his role as grandfather; and eagerly attended countless sporting events, concerts, plays and church ceremonies involving "Masters" Jackson and Clayton.
Raised in the Anglican Church in Barbados, Dr. Best was committed to his faith throughout adulthood. He was a lay reader at his church in Germany where he read scriptures to the congregation in German. Later, heshared his commitment to his faith with his pre-teen children, Roger and Christel, who were laterconfirmed in the Episcopal Church. Garnett attended Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio for over 30 years.
From a tiny island in the Caribbean came this incredible larger-than-life man of medicine, Dr. Garnett S.Best, who was committed to excellence, professionalism, family, and faith. He was, and is, a role model to his children and grandchildren, instilling in them the values of hard work, education, ethics, discipline, love, and the refusal to allow foreign language, geography, race, or any other social barrier to steal their dreams, leaving them a legacy of honor and the highest of standards.
Left to mourn Garnett's passing are his beloved wife Miriam, his two adoring children Roger and Christel, grandsons, Jackson and Clayton and step-children, Craig, Amy and Jeffrey. Garnett also leaves behind his cherished sister Jean Livingstone and her husband Richmond as well as his brother, Wilton Anthony and his wife Joanna along with his nephew Raymond, niece Natascha and her husband Max Burger.
PDF Printable Version
Guestbook
Visits: 5
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors