Obituary of Geoffrey Carman

Geoffrey John Carman, age 79, of Woodbury, MN, passed away surrounded by family on Saturday, August 29th, 2020.

He was a great-grandfather, grandfather, and father to many who loved him.

Geoffrey was born in Minneapolis in 1941. A son to a military father, he traveled the world at a young age, living in Korea and Germany throughout his youth, among other places. He told many fond stories of his youth learning and living in other cultures. He even became fairly fluent in German.

When he neared high school graduation, he made the commitment to serve his country in the United States Marine Corps. He showed his strength, resilience, and honor during his time serving, part of which was stationed in Guam in 1960, where his love of photography was born.

After his service, he settled down and began his life. Geoff fathered five children, and grandfathered countless, including those he devoted himself to as family by love. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, which would lead him to his long tenure working for the state, working for over 20 years as a Senior Systems Analyst. 

Geoff was a lover of adventure and fostering adventure in others. He loved taking his kids and grandkids camping, fishing, skiing, to the Winter Carnival in Saint Paul, to the State Fair, to movies and dinner, and many other excursions that put countless smiles on countless faces. 

Though he was done with his active duty in the Marine Corps, Geoff had more to give. He was active in the United States Marine Corps League, having served them as the Minnesota Commandant for two years. Geoff also was a member of the Military Order of the Devil Dogs for years, attending picnics and gatherings in support of fellow Marines.

 

Geoff’s commitment to his brothers in arms extended to Fort Snelling and the VA as well. He was an avid and devoted member of the Fort Snelling Memorial Rifle Squad for 8 years. He also gave his time every year for Memorial Day to raising flags along the drive at the VA Hospital, after which he marched in the parade at Fort Snelling in honor of those we’ve lost. He also contributed countless hours to our active service military on layovers at the airport, feeding our troops sandwiches and coffee, as well as donating his cell phone for family calls. 

 

Geoffrey was a strong man who fostered integrity, honor, honesty, and a work ethic in his children, which has been passed to his grandchildren as well. His love of smiles, from stories of the vicious “underwater gorilla monkeys,” to cuddles with grandkids, will never be forgotten. 

 

Geoffrey is survived by his three siblings, brothers Mike and John, and sister, Susan; his five children, John, Thomas (Marilyn), Chad (Rochelle), Matt, and Rachel (Kyle); as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

 

Interment is scheduled for Friday, September 18th, at 9am, at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. The Friday Rifle Squad of which he was so proud to be a member will be there to send him off with proper honors. 

 

Memorial donations in honor of Geoffrey Carman can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/.