Lynne Michele Garland died Aug 22, 2019, from complications of Parkinson's Disease. She was lucky enough to be born in San Diego, California on February 25, 1942, at Mercy Hospital. She was preceded in death by her parents, Marvel, and Ralph, and her beloved animal companions, Basset Hounds Droopy, Sniffles, Blossom, Huey, And sweet Kitties Chopper, Scooter, Twiggy, Baxter, Caccia, Spooky, Willow and Mr. Burns. Michele was a lifetime animal lover and advocate for animal rights and welfare. She volunteered at several local animal shelters and provided financial support for PETA, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States.
The Elementary Schools she attended were Logan Heights, Sherman and Ocean Beach. She also attended Richard Henry Dana Junior High School and graduated from Point Loma High School in 1959, where she was active in Drill team and was a Majorette. She studied Pre Med and was a song leader at San Diego City College in 1960, then transferred to Mercy College of Nursing where she obtained her Diploma in 1963. She practiced as an R.N. for 50 years, primarily as an operating room specialist. Locally she was employed by Tri-City Medical Center where she retired in 2013 after 14 years in Surgery.
Ms. Garland lived in Los Angeles from 1965 to 1998, where she pursued many various and interesting jobs, hobbies and lifestyles. She had a zest for life and was always looking for something new to try. A new adventure upon which to embark. As a child, she studied Classical Ballet, then switched to Modern Jazz as an adult. As a teenager, she loved two-man beach volleyball, surfing, and horseback riding. This prompted a lifelong love affair with horses and encouraged her to acquire a modest equine art collection, take lessons in equitation, dressage and show jumping. In her early twenties, she became obsessed with snow skiing, traveling all over the western states to live and work at various ski resorts including Mammoth Lakes, Sun Valley, Aspen, and Jackson Hole.
In her later twenties, she got her first Basset Hound and started training and showing her dogs in obedience and the breed ring. Later in life, she would travel the world to visit famous dog shows, like Westminster in New York and Crufts in England. In her early thirties, Michele discovered music as a method of self-expression. Fender Bass was her instrument of choice playing Rock & Roll at home and in several garage bands. This interest was rekindled in her sixties when she played upright acoustic bass with the New Horizons Band and North County Strings at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. In her late thirties, she started racing her Lotus Europa in SCCA competitions. Ms. Garland owned and drove several Lotus, most recently you could see her zooming around Oceanside in her bright orange 2005 Lotus Elise. In 1979 her life would change forever as she took her first flying lesson at Torrance airport. This one encounter led to a 12-year career in Aviation starting with a Private Pilot's license with instrument and instructors certificates. She taught for four years, then flew commercially in the Gulf of Mexico as oil rig support and in Alaska during the Exxon Valdez oil spill. She was a lifelong member of the Wherly Girls, the International Women's Helicopter Association. #432 Forever! After retiring and due to the limitations imposed by arthritis and Parkinson's, Michele led a quiet life at home caring for her precious cats, raising orchids, reading and going to movies. Always grateful for the opportunity to have had a life well-lived, full of adventure and fun.
Her ashes will be interred at Dearborn Memorial Park in Poway, Next to her Mother. There will be no services.
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