Garry Russell Vibber

Dad was born and raised in the Tri-Cities, the son of John and Dorothy Vibber. His dad owned Vibber Rexall Drugs, and Garry grew up helping out and enjoying snacks at the soda fountain. He and his two sisters enjoyed their horses, swimming in their pool, and family vacations to the ocean and Idaho.

After high school he attended Washington State University, where he majored in Economics and met his first wife Sandra. They married and later welcomed their daughter Christa Suzanne. They later divorced and Garry moved to Olympia, WA, to work for the WA State Dept of Economic Development.

In Olympia, he met his second wife, Jenifer, and her two daughters, Melissa and Jessica. They married, and created the special blended family we still have and enjoy today. Our family enjoyed camping trips, Friday night swimming, and picnics at Hood Canal.

Garry and Jenifer separated in 1982, and Garry moved to Seattle, where he worked for Mitsui until his retirement in 2005. Despite our parents divorcing, and living in two cities, our family stayed close, which included whole-family celebrations for birthdays and holidays. Our family stayed close as we girls got married and started families of our own. And Dad got to bask in the joy of being a devoted grandfather. One of our Dad's biggest gifts to our family was an annual all-family vacation, which was a week at Black Butte Ranch for the last eight years.

Dad set the bar at asking people about themselves and getting to know them. He did not like to be the center of attention. He was a model for many of our cousins and friends that men could be kind, gentle, fun, attentive, and playful. In recent years, his interests did not go much beyond spending time with family, especially his grandchildren, his cat Maleeka, and following the stock market. Though it may sound like his world was small, his impact on those who knew him was great.

Dad is survived by his three daughters, Christa Nielsen, Jessica Smith (Jeff), Melissa Tomlinson (Shawn), grandchildren Trent, Ruby, Sophie, and Tessa, sister Vicki Smith (Chuck), twin sister Gretchen LaPointe, and lifelong friends Jenifer Stewart Manley, Mal Kamimoto, David LaPoint, and Jack Wendel.

The Celebration of Life for our Dad, Garry Vibber, will be:

Saturday, November 18

1pm at

Genesis Global Spiritual Center

233 South 156th Street

Burien, WA 98148

There will be a reception with coffee & light refreshments immediately following.

Donations can be made in Dad's name to http://www.seattlehumane.org/ or https://www.pasadosafehaven.org.

Words of comfort may be expressed for Garry Vibber's family by clicking on the Tributes tab just below their name.