Garrett Currence

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Garrett Currence spent seven years on the Challenger Little League fields making sure every kid felt like an all-star in Virginia. 

Now, a community of families, coaches, and players is grieving the sudden loss of the young man who poured himself into theirs.

Currence — a Challenger coach, board member, and familiar face at ballfields across Newport News and Hampton — died unexpectedly on Monday, Dec. 8, at just 31 years old. 

His family said he passed while “anxiously awaiting a kidney transplant” after two years of ongoing medical complications.

It’s a loss that rippled immediately through the Challenger Baseball community, where Garrett volunteered season after season, helping players with disabilities learn the game, find confidence, and feel joy.

According to a fundraiser created by Lori Armer, Garrett Currence “loved being part of our Challenger Family,” was “always working on ideas to raise money for our Challenger Baseball Team,” and that “each and every one of our players… held a special place in Garrett’s heart.”

His obituary says he was born at Langley Air Force Base and graduated from Tabb High School in 2013. In 2019, he married “the love of his life,” Joseph Bauer, and the two were “happily married for 5 years.”

Garrett also worked as a licensed security guard — “the perfect job for him,” his family wrote, because “he loved interacting with people.” 

They described him as leaving behind “a treasure of wonderful friends who have been so supportive through the last two years of dialysis.”

Tributes from across the region began flooding social media almost immediately.

One longtime friend, Chris Hyre Shifflett, wrote, “He was only 31. He left this world way too soon. I'll always remember that little ornery glint in your eyes & how you always gave me a big hug.”

His aunt, Denise Hudnall-Campbell, called the news “devastating,” saying Currence “was a funny and loving nephew,” adding that she had nicknamed him “Gary Goo.”

Donna Owens, who’s known the family for years through Challenger baseball, said Garrett “offered laughter, love, compassion and (often) shenanigans,” adding, “he’s left baseball-sized holes in the hearts of his Challenger family, and all who knew him.”

From the Little League community, the grief was just as sharp.

Northampton Little League wrote, “We cannot say enough about what it means for us to participate in the Challenger games each season. Jeff and his family are amazing and selfless individuals… Garrett, you left an impact on all who knew you, and you will be missed.”

Deer Park Little League shared that “if you have ever been to a Challenger game at Dot Rich, you likely saw Garrett on the field doing what he loved,” and extended “deepest sympathies to the Currence Family.”

Another friend, Brandon Tyler, said he was “struggling to cope” with the loss, calling Garrett “an exceptionally caring and compassionate individual,” and adding that “his sudden departure has left us all reeling.”

The GoFundMe created to help cover funeral expenses notes that the family “has dealt with so many hospital trips and expenses over the last two years” and that “no one was prepared for this.” 

Donations will help cover funeral costs as the Currence family navigates their unimaginable loss.

It can be found here.

"He was a bright spark in this world and will be deeply missed," organizers wrote. "He touched the lives of so many, and it’s our turn to give back to his family in their time of need."