Obituary of Garold Faber

Garold ("Gary") Lafayette Faber, 91, of Ventura, California, passed away at home surrounded by his family on Thursday, May 29, 2014. He was born in Mitchell, South Dakota, on April 11, 1923, to George and Elizabeth Faber. He was the first of two sons, followed by his brother, Donald Andrews Faber. He graduated from Mitchell High School in 1941 and enlisted in the Army in 1942. He landed at Normandy D-Day Plus 1, on June 7, 1944. He returned from WWII to complete his studies at Dakota Wesleyan University, and completed his MD at the University of Colorado at Denver, Medical School. After working in Libya for two years, he completed his Masters Degree in Public Health at UC Berkeley and worked as a Public Health Officer in Butte, Fresno, and San Diego counties. He completed a two-year psychiatric residency at Norwalk State Mental Hospital, later working in community mental health until his retirement, at age 82, in 2005. Gary married Barbara Wangsness in 1950, and they had three children, Ben Faber, Elizabeth Albert, and Susan Johnson. After his first marriage ended, he married Joyce Enfield in 1970, with her two children, Linda Gulledge and Eric Potter. This husband, father, stepfather, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, mentor, inspiration and friend loved his family and friends, gave generously to his community, and encouraged all to overcome their obstacles and to pursue good lives. Giving service to others and pursuing life-long learning were his twin passions. He read widely, traveled the globe, took classes, attended countless plays, concerts, and museums, and was actively involved in his community and church. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Faber, son Ben Faber, Ben's partner, Alice Warrick, daughter Elizabeth (and Bill) Albert, daughter Susan (and Rex) Johnson, stepdaughter Linda (and Woody) Gulledge, stepson Eric (and Sara) Potter, seven grandchildren—Will Albert, Sara (and John) Hallmark, Ryan (and Katie) Schwarz, Micah Johnson, Cayla Johnson, Alice Potter, and Devon Potter—two great-grandsons: Jack Hallmark and Jonathan Schwarz—his brother, Donald (and Barbara) Faber, niece Kim (and Bill) Freesh, niece Kelly (and Ed) Oakland, nephew Robert Faber, and three great-nephews—Jason Oakland, Andrew Freesh, and Michael Freesh. A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura on Saturday, June 7, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice in Gary's name or to one of Gary's favorite local organizations: Ventura County Community Foundation, Social Justice Fund of Ventura County or CAUSE (Coastal Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy).