Culver maintenance director, athletic star Garland dies at 51

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Mike Garland

Mike Garland, the Culver Community High School maintenance director who starred as a basketball player at the school in the 1990s, died Sept. 9. He was 51.

A published obituary said Garland had been battling cancer.

Garland graduated from Culver in 1993. He later worked as the director of maintenance at Culver Academy before taking a similar position at his alma mater.

He also coached football and basketball at the middle school level. His daughter Avery played volleyball at the school, and he was a fixture at Culver volleyball matches, even after Avery graduated in 2024.

A moment of silence was held to remember him prior to the Sept. 9 home volleyball match against Argos.

Culver principal Brett Berndt said Garland had not been at school this year.

“He was a big supporter of the athletic teams, the volleyball team,” Culver athletic director Mike Zehner said. “He was constantly making cornhole boards for them to raffle off and make money off. He did that, I think, every year. He also was an assistant coach. He did middle school basketball. He helped out at the varsity level. He also was the middle school football coach and was on the staff the last time they won sectionals with (coach) Andy Thomas as well (in 2009).”

Garland, a forward-center known for his leaping ability and for finishing lob passes at the rim, led the Larry Rans-coached Culver basketball teams in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons. He finished with 725 career points.

Teammates included Rex (Tony) Reinholt, Chad Stevens, Tom Krueger and Steve Strycker.

Berndt is a 1993 Knox grad and played against him in high school. So he first knew of Garland as a big man who could “jump out of the gym” before he knew him personally.

“He didn’t speak of himself a lot,” Berndt said. “He just always talked about the girls. He talked about his daughter and his other daughter too (Katie) and their classmates and just tried to make sure they had fun and if he could help out in any way.”

Garland started his own Port-a-Pot business called Portable Pit Stop, according to Zehner, and later used that experience to get the maintenance job at Culver Academy.

“Even when he was at the Academy, he was still coaching at the Community school,” Zehner explained.

In fact, before Berndt was principal, he was the boys basketball coach at Culver, and Garland was one of the middle school coaches in the feeder system. Garland got to coach his son Kyle during this time.

He later helped with the girls basketball program.

Zehner was asked if Garland spoke about his own athletic career much or if he was modest.

“He was pretty modest,” Zehner said. “He was kind of a jokester. He always had a smile on his face. He always could make kids laugh. He had a contagious laugh for sure. The kids loved him.”

Berndt described Garland as “fun-loving.”

“He always had a smile on his face,” Berndt said. “Very good humored, loved to joke around.”

Zehner said Garland kept his battle with cancer private.

“I think Brynn’s (Berndt, Class of 2025) group was probably maybe one of the last groups that he helped out with,” Zehner said.

Garland is survived by Amy, his wife of 23 years; children Kyle, Katie and Avery; grandchildren Grant, Van and Guinevere; mother Pamela Smith; father-in-law Clifford Slusher; and siblings Dennis, Shelly and Cole as well as extended family members.

“Pretty big,” Berndt said, when asked about the void that Garland’s passing will leave. “Obviously, you talk about job-wise being the maintenance director in charge of custodians and the outside staff. So obviously, that’s big shoes to fill for somebody who has known the system… for a long time and has done a great job doing it. And for not just knowing stuff but the relationships he built with the staff and with coaches and with players and even students.

“That’s going to be a big void for sure.”