Kathleen "Kathy" Garms

Kathleen M. "Kathy" Garms, age 80 of Battle Creek passed away Peacefully on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at her farm home in Bedford Township. She was born in Battle Creek on March 31, 1945 to Frank W. Crandall and Bernadine M. (Marshall) Crandall. She attended Pennfield Schools her entire 12 years, starting in the one-room countryside Court School. She graduated in 1963, and continued on, taking college courses. She was very active in 4-H growing up.

She met George H. Garms in the fall of 1962 and the two were married on September 5, 1964 at the Urbandale Methodist Church. They were married 57 years when George passed away in 2021. During their time together, they moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where George was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base.

After leaving the Air Force life, they returned to Battle Creek and Kathy enjoyed being a wife and a mother. With those titles, she became a Cub Scout leader and a 4-H Club leader with the Stablemates and the Lucky Stars clubs in Calhoun County. She became a recess supervisor at North Pennfield Elementary and spent some time working at Felpausch Food Center. She was a member of the Bedford Belles Extension Homemaker and the Cal Co Quilters Clubs.

She was known for making her wonderful award-winning quilts, gardening, cooking, and preserving her harvest. She also enjoyed spending time with her Neighbors and Friends group and the Penn Pals group she went to school with.

Kathy eventually became a grandmother and a great-grandmother after raising three children in her Bedford Township home- Darrin (Barb) Garms, Dena (Russell) West, and Jonathan (Becky) Garms.

Kathy is survived by her children; her grandchildren, Amanda (John) Smith, Drew (Tarra) Garms, Ethan West, Elijah West, Jonathan Todd Garms, Kyle Cobb and five happy healthy great-grandchildren. She is also survived by 2 sisters-in-law, Gloria Crandall and Marcia (Darrell) VanVleet; and a brother-in-law, Bernie Metten.

Kathy was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; George; her brother, Larry Crandall; a sister-in-law, Sherrill Metten; a nephew, Douglas VanVleet; a niece, Suzanne Jinks; and a granddaughter, Haley Jo West. In 2002, Kathy was baptized and became a member of the Pennfield Presbyterian Church.

The family will receive friends 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, November 2, 2025 at Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Cremation Preneed Care, Battle Creek where services to Celebrate Kathy’s Life will be held 10:00 a.m. Monday, November 3, 2025. The service will be Live-streamed and may be viewed at https://vimeo.com/event/5475043. Interment will follow at Bedford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to Centrica Care Navigators (Hospice), 7100 Stadium Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49009, from whom Kathy and her family received amazing care and support during this difficult time. Personal messages for the family and favorite memories of Kathy may be placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com.