Abby Gartland

Abby Lynn Mahan Gartland passed peacefully, at home, on the morning of January 29, 2015, surrounded by her loving family.

Abby was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on February 10, 1979, to David and Barbara Mahan, but lived most of her life in Traverse City. She graduated from Michigan State University in 2001 and married the love of her life, Brian Gartland, on November 8, 2003. They enjoyed 11 wonderful years together, traveling the world, building houses and living aboard their small sailboat in the Bahamas with their two children, Scarlet (6) and Brooks (5).

In her professional life, Abby truly enjoyed working as a stewardship ecologist for the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, where she rose to Director of Preserve Stewardship. Her position enabled her to help forever protect the natural features of Northern Michigan that she loved so much. She felt "at home" in the natural world and was vastly knowledgeable about it. She worked tirelessly with her team and volunteers to protect some of the places that make our area so uniquely beautiful. Much of her invasive species work can be measured by what is not there rather than what is. If you are looking at Lake Michigan anywhere between Ludington and The Straits of Mackinac and your view is not obstructed by a fourteen foot tall impenetrable reed called Phragmites, you have Abby to thank for starting the effort to remove it before it gained a foothold. If you're on a Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy preserve watching the first flowers of spring coming up through the forest floor, unimpeded by invasive plants, it's because Abby pioneered a vast volunteer effort to pull them up by hand when others said it was impossible.

Abby was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. She was remarkable in her ability to find something good in everyone she met and thus, she made a friend of everyone who met her. She was loved by many. Anyone who knew her will remember her giving spirit, sense of humor, endless grace, and love of the out-of-doors. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know her well were forever changed by her and will never be the same without her.

Other than her immediate family, she is survived by her beloved sister Meegan, thirteen nieces and nephews, and loving cousins, uncles and aunts.

The countless expressions of love for Abby that the family has received have meant a great deal to us and we are grateful for the love and support of our friends and community. This road would be much harder without you.

A celebration of Abby's life will be held at Camp Arbutus, 1380 E. Arbutus Lake Rd, on Saturday, February 7 at 2 PM.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be directed to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to assist in Abby's wish to provide a beach access ramp on one of their preserves so that people in wheel chairs can enjoy the water like she did. Please sign Abby's online guestbook at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com .