Jennifer Garner has announced that her beloved father passed away “peacefully Saturday afternoon.” And her tribute to him left fans thinking of their own dads.
In an Instagram post shared on April 1, Garner detailed the last few moments she spend with her dad, as the family was gathered around him, “singing Amazing Grace as he left us.” Despite her grief, Garner joked, “Did we carry him across or scare him away? Valid question.”
“While there is no tragedy in the death of an 85 year old man who lived a healthy, wonderful life, I know grief is unavoidable, waiting around unexpected corners,” Garner wrote. But today, she writes, “Today is for gratitude.”
As Jennifer Garner continued, the actress wrote that she is grateful for her father’s “demeanor and quiet strength. For how he teased with a mischievous smile, and for the way he invented the role of all in, ever patient girl dad. We are grateful for his work ethic, leadership and faith.”
She then thanked his medical team at Charleston Area Medical Center and City of Hope, whose “care extended Dad’s life and gave him time to be in his favorite spots— surrounded by daughters and grandchildren, cheering for his beloved Aggies, captaining a boat, and— most of all—next to his wife of 59 years, our Mom.”
Garners writes that “there is so much to say about my dad,” adding that she and her sisters “will never be done talking about how wonderful he was, but for today I share these memories with my appreciation for the kind and brilliant man, father, and grandfather he was, as well as the loving legacy he left behind.”
So many people reached out to Garner and her family in the comments section, praising the actress for her “beautiful tribute.” Many comments felt connected to Garner and her beloved dad, writing that William Garner sounded a lot like their own dads.
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“A father daughter bond is like no other – I’m so very sorry – sending love and prayers for your family.”