Delmer Garber Obituary (1938

Del Garber, 73, of Gig Harbor died peacefully on February 28th with his family at his side after a courageous 19 month battle with colon cancer. He was born October 10th, 1938 in Elkhart, Illinois to Marion and Johanna Garber. He grew up and attended school in Pekin, Illinois. He met the love of his life, Maggie, and they married on June 6, 1964 and were soon blessed with two daughters. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, he began his business career owning and operating Garber Texaco and Convenient Food Mart in Pekin. In 1975 they made the move to Tacoma, Washington, settling in Gig Harbor two years later. He then found his passion in the hardware business in Gig Harbor first as Coast to Coast Hardware, then converting to Ace Hardware. As the business grew the store expanded twice in the original location, and grew when they opened a second store on Bainbridge Island with their daughter and son in law. In 1999, they expanded to a second location in Gig Harbor and continue to operate both to this day. Del was always dedicated to his family, his church and the community. He was an active member of the St. Nicholas Catholic Parish serving on many parish committees. He was a charter member of the St. Nicholas Knights of Columbus, and served a term as Grand Knight. He was also a charter member of the Gig Harbor Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and has served on it's board of directors. He worked actively within the Hardware Industry first with the Pacific Northwest Hardware Association, and served as Chairman in 1997. He was appointed to the National Retail Hardware Association Board of directors where he later served as President. Del enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He and Maggie enjoyed traveling, and preferably it was in an RV. He especially enjoyed watching baseball, from many years of Little League games to being a season ticket holder of the Tacoma Rainiers for many years with his brother in law John Zoril and numerous Mariners Spring Training games while spending time where he loved to be in Arizona. One of his great joys was time spent with the grandchildren and their various activities. Del is survived by his loving wife and business partner for 47 years Maggie; daughters Becky Mikami (Steve) of Bainbridge Island, and Pam Raymond (Eric) of Poulsbo; Brother Ken Garber (Karalyn) and Sister Marilyn Alexander (Don) both of Pekin Illinois; Grandchildren Abigail, Cameron, Joshua, Kyler, Lily, Madeline, and Matthew as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends Your keen sense of humor, constant caring for others, and your guidance, wisdom, and humble spirit will be missed by all. The Family wishes to express their gratitude to Dr. Stephen Kramp M.D., Dr. Atis Barzdins M.D. and the staff of Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, the staff of St. Anthony Hospital and the staff of the Franciscan Hospice House for their excellent care and compassion. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at Saint Nicholas Catholic Church in Gig Harbor at 11:00am Monday March 5th with reception to follow. Remembrances may be made to Saint Nicholas Catholic School in Gig Harbor and Franciscan Hospice House in Tacoma.