Dr. Clifford Louis Garrard, Jr., age 89, died peacefully in his sleep Thursday, February 5, 2026, at The Carriage House Assisted Living in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Born June 25, 1936 in Montgomery, Alabama to the late Clifford Louis Garrard, Sr. and Annie Lee Raines Garrard, he grew up in Jackson, Tennessee.

Cliff was a 1954 graduate of Jackson High School where he was President of the student body and played football. He excelled in both academics and football (Golden Bears). Upon graduation from high school, he attended Vanderbilt University undergraduate school where he played on their Freshman Football Team and was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Upon graduation, he attended the Vanderbilt Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee. He had a medical fellowship to attend the University of Virginia.

During the Vietnam War, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He practiced medicine while stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base. After his military service, he received a cardiology fellowship to the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama. He was a pioneer in the field of interventional cardiology.

He began his cardiology practice in Orlando, Florida after receiving his Board- certified credentials and was also Chief of Medical Staff at Lucerne Hospital in Orlando, Florida.

In 1981, his home town of Jackson, Tennessee recruited him to come back to his hometown of Jackson to develop and implement the first Heart Catheterization Lab at West Tennessee Healthcare Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee. He performed the first heart catheterization in West Tennessee at that time. He worked with the $1 million expansion to prepare the hospital for the high level of care needed to support the heart cases. He was a pioneer in the newly emerged technologies such as heart catheterizations and other new interventional technologies and procedures during that period of time. This enabled other cardiologists to come to town and the hospital to expand with the needed specialists such as heart surgeons who would be needed to support these new interventional technologies and procedures.

Cliff loved hearts and he loved sports, especially football. In Orlando, he and his boys loved deep sea fishing and boating. He enjoyed his fishing get away at Cherokee Sound, Bahamas. He loved studying hearts which continued into his seventies- even after his retirement. He loved traveling and before their marriage, he asked his fiancé to agree to travel with him after he retired. He loved photography, football games, basketball games, baseball games, art, reading and showing Tennessee Walking horses.

In his mid-life, he developed his love of the Tennessee Walking Horses and showed and loved his favorites like Ebony’s Smokin’ Sun, Pride’s Final Attraction, Gold Picture, and The American Choice. Later in life he loved Red Sparrow, Dixie White Socks, Sadie Hawkins and Longmire. He and his wife enjoyed breeding, showing and trail riding at their Walnut Ridge farm in Humboldt/ Medina Tennessee. They were each other’s greatest fan when the other was in the ring. When Cliff could no longer ride, he was always cheering in the stands for Linda and even taking photos of her around the ring until his health did not permit.

Dr. Garrard is survived by his wife of 30 years, Dr. Linda Howell Garrard, two sons: Dr. Clifford Louis Garrard, III and wife, Karlen Mitchell Garrard and John Vernon Garrard; grandchildren: Clifford Louis Garrard, IV (Taylor) of Nashville, Tennessee, Paul Mitchell Garrard of Charlottesville, Virginia, Cornelia Frances Garrard of New York, New York, Anne Elizabeth Garrard of London, England, Mary Garrard Whitehead (Neville) of Jackson, Mississippi, Eleanor Garrard of Brentwood, Tennessee; brother, Robert Frank Garrard (Kay) and his nieces Leigh Garrard Mullholland of Kansas City, Kansas and Laura Garrard Nordell (Mike) of Port Angeles, Washington.

He is predeceased by parents, Clifford Louis Garrard, Sr. and Annie Lee Raines Garrard, daughter, Lynn Allen Moore (Chuck) and daughter-in-law, Anne Hazlehurst Garrard (John).

Cliff is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Shelbyville, Tennessee and a former member of First United Methodist Church in Shelbyville, First Evangelical Presbyterian in Humbolt, Tennessee, and Northside United Methodist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.

A Funeral Service will be held to celebrate the life of Dr. Clifford Louis Garrard, Jr. on Thursday, February 12, 2026 in the chapel in Doak Howell Chapel at 1:00 p.m. with Pastor Steve Murphree officiating. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Shelbyville. Visitation will be held prior to the service starting at 11:00 a.m.

Pallbearers will be Dr. Louis Garrard III, Ford Garrard, Paul Garrard, Mike Inman, Drew Graves and Michael Scott. Honorary pallbearers are John Garrard, Bob Garrard, Dr. John Kendall, Tommy Anderton and Tony Matusek.

The family extends a special thank you to Carriage House Assisted Living especially to Leann and Chanel and to friends Karen Inman, Patty Gray, Nyomi as well as Aveanna Hospice.

Donations may be made to FAST Legal Fund at PO Box 259, Shelbyville, TN 37162 and First Presbyterian Church, 600 N. Brittain St, Shelbyville, TN 37160.

Doak-Howell Funeral Home is serving the family.