Obituary of Dillon Robert Garrity
“I am myself like you somehow. I’ll ride the wave where it takes me.” – Pearl Jam
Dillon Robert Garrity was taken too soon in Denville, NJ on Monday, April 17, 2023 at the young age of 30. Dillon was a loving fiancé, father, son, brother, and friend to many. His legacy will live on for generations to come.
Dillon grew up running around Denville playing sports, exploring the woods, climbing trees, jumping in the Rockaway River with all his friends or hanging around at his family’s pub, Poor Henrys. He graduated from Morris Knolls High School, Class of 2011, where he played varsity hockey all four years, as a forward. He was the Captain of the Morris Knolls hockey team, an All County player and participated on multiple travel teams, such as the Montclair Blues and Aspen Freeze. He would talk often about how much he was looking forward to being able to coach and cheer on his son, Cillian, one day. Although he was a great athlete himself, he really enjoyed watching the New York Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys. You could hear him cheering from down the street. Some of Dillon’s fondest childhood memories were on family vacations to OBX with family and friends, which sparked his love for the beach. He loved nature, sitting on his back deck, playing golf with his Dad, brother & friends, walking his dogs and doing anything with his fiancé & son. He was master of the grill, doing dishes, laundry and lining up Cillian’s stuffed animals just right in preparation for Cillian’s bed time. He had the best laugh and could put a smile on anyone’s face.
He was a very hard worker at PanurgyOEM in Rockaway and took a lot of pride in his position. He had hoped to make that his lifetime career. Music was a huge part of Dillon’s life. If Dillon was in control, he was playing Pearl Jam, Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, Chili Peppers & Grateful Dead (just to name a few). He had a playlist for everything and knew the lyrics to any song that came on, it was truly amazing! He loved to play guitar and listen to his favorite rock n’ roll tunes. When he got the opportunity to go to concerts, he took them and would always manage to make it to the very front row. He had a very adventurous spirit, while skiing you would see him go straight down the Mountain without a single turn, skating at the speed of light or just last week, doing backflips on a trampoline.
Out of all his amazing traits, his favorite was being a dad. He was the type of father every little kid deserves to have. Loving, caring and extremely proud. Dillon was ecstatic to share the news of their second child, expected in November and couldn’t wait to celebrate their wedding July 28.
Dillon’s memory will live on through his loving Fiancé, Genevieve Sheeran and his son, Cillian Garrity; their expecting child, his father and step-mother, Robert and Stephanie Garrity; his devoted brother, JT Baxter and his beloved sister Julia Rose Garrity; his loving grandparents, Ruth A. Garrity and Gerard and Alice Baxter. He was blessed to be loved and missed by all his aunts, uncles, and cousins of the Garrity and Baxter family; as well as his In-Laws, Michael and Mary Sheeran and John (Nikki) Sheeran. His loyal companions, his pups Guinness and Whiskey.
Although we are deeply saddened of his passing, we take comfort in knowing that he is now reunited in Heaven with his mother, Cindy Lee Garrity whom he missed dearly, and his grandparents Robert L. Garrity Sr. and Erwin and Ethyl Hecht.
A public visitation will be held on Sunday, April 23 2023 from 12 – 4 pm at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Avenue, Denville. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, April 24th at 10 am at St. Mary`s Church, 15 Myers Avenue, Denville. Interment will follow at Denville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are being accepted in his memory to his legacy, his son Cillian’s Fund by way of www.inmemof.org. Please leave a condolence, light a candle, and share your favorite memory of Dillon here to continue to celebrate the special life he bestowed upon us and to let his light continue to shine on.
“And he still gives his love, he just gives it away. The love he receives is the love that is saved and sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky; a human being that was given to fly” – Pearl Jam
“And wherever you’ve gone, and wherever we might go, it don’t seem fair, today just disappeared, your lights reflected now, reflected from a far, we were but stones, your light made us stars” - Pearl Jam
