Jennifer Garner’s family has lost their patriarch.
The “Alias” alum shared her father William “Bill” Garner died peacefully on March 30 at the age of 85.
“We were with him, singing Amazing Grace as he left us (did we carry him across or scare him away— valid question,)” she wrote on Instagram April 1, sharing photos of Bill Garner throughout the years. “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.”
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Now, she and her two sisters are choosing to honor their dad by remembering his “gentle 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,” she wrote. “We are grateful for his work ethic, leadership and faith.”
Jennifer Garner went on to share her gratitude to the healthcare workers who took care of her dad as he spent his final days “surrounded by daughters and grandchildren,” which includes her and ex Ben Affleck’s kids Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
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“There is so much to say about my dad—my sisters and I will never be done talking about how wonderful he was, so bear with us,” the “13 Going on 30” star added, “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.”
Bill Garner’s passing comes nearly three months after he and his wife Patricia English Garner celebrated their 59th anniversary. At the time, Jennifer Garner marked the Jan. 1 milestone with a tribute dedicated to her “incredibly sweet and loving parents.”
“Thank you, Mom and Dad,” she captioned a photo of the couple staring lovingly in each other’s eyes, “for giving my sisters and me such a secure, happy start to life.”
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Indeed, Jennifer Garner and her dad had a very close relationship. In fact, the two costarred in 2016 commercial for Capital One.
“When I first started working with Capital One, my dad called them up and asked for the Jennifer Garner card, which is such a dad thing to do,” she recounted on the ad, explaining how the phone operator had jokingly asked if they were related. “He was so proud to tell her, ‘As a matter of fact she is my middle daughter.'”
And after Bill Garner popped into frame to deliver the credit card’s iconic “What’s in your wallet” tagline, Jennifer Garner sweetly gave him a hug and said, “That was good, dad!”
