Gary Gilford Dobbs

Gary Gilford Dobbs was born on 3/13/1947 in Portland, OR to Gilford and Josephine (Wren) Dobbs, and passed away at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle on 7/5/2016, after a lengthy illness.Due to his father's Naval career, Gary grew up in Ore, Calif and Wash, graduating from West Seattle High School in 1965.Gary interrupted his education at the UW to serve as a Civil Rights Activist with the VISTA program, putting his life on the line to register black voters in the South and marching with Dr. Martin Luther King.After returning to Seattle and completing his degree, Gary became a sports writer and photographer, specializing in track and field events, working with some of the most prominent world-class athletes of the 1970s through the 1990s. Gary's photographs graced the covers of NW Runner, Sports NW and other magazines. During his 33 year career with Metro Transit, Gary received numerous awards.Gary was an avid outdoorsman, running marathons, mountaineering (having summited Mt. Rainier half dozen times), and hiking extensively in the Grand Canyon. He was also a long-term season ticket holder for his beloved UW Huskies.Gary is survived by his wife, Karen, his sister Katy Dobbs, her husband Fred Newman, niece Lila Newman, nephew Gil Newman, step children Laura Mitchell (Nick) and Mark Wissing, and step-grandson Henry Mitchell as well as numerous cousins.Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday August 11th at the Forest Lawn Chapel, 6701 30th Ave SW in Seattle. Husky attire suitable. Donations in Gary's memory may be made to the Grand Canyon Trust or the West Seattle High School Alumni Assoc.