Frederick William Garber

Frederick William Garber was born at home on Wagner Avenue in Philadelphia, PA, on May 28, 1930, to Frederick William Garber and Margaret Elizabeth Hoffman. He was the oldest of two children. His younger sister, Suzanne Rowe Garber, was born two years later in 1932.

Fred’s father passed away when he was only 3 ½ years old. Fred lived in Abington, PA, for a few years after that, and then the family moved to Glenside, PA. In Glenside, as a young boy, Fred met Bob Evleth, who became his lifelong friend. Fred and Bob served as best man at each other’s weddings. Their families vacationed together numerous times over the years and remained close friends.

When Fred was only 8 years old, he entered Girard College, a boarding school for orphaned and fatherless boys in Philadelphia, PA. Many wonderful lifelong friendships were formed during his Girard years. Fred graduated from Girard College nine years later and then moved home with his mother in Glenside for a few years. It was at this time that Fred began working for Ford Motor Company as a messenger boy, until he enlisted in the United States Air Force in February of 1951.

While serving in the Air Force, he became a pilot and eventually a pilot trainer. He served for a period of four years until honorably discharged in February of 1955. It was while stationed in Louisiana that he met his sweetheart, Juanita “Nita” Teresa Melancon. Nita was in college when she attended dances for the service men and met Fred at one of these dances.

Fred and Nita were married on July 21, 1955, in North Hills, PA, at Carmel Presbyterian Church. Within a year of marriage, they bought their house on Hazel Avenue in North Hills, PA. Fred returned to working for Ford after his Air Force service and worked his way up, attending and graduating from Pierce Business College, which helped move his career along. Fred was employed by Ford for over 40 years and made many friends along the way.

Fred and Nita’s son, Frederick “Freddy” William Garber Junior, was born on May 19, 1959. A daughter Virginia “Ginny” Lynn Garber was born on November 2, 1961. Fred and Nita dearly loved their children. Fred and Nita loved pets and had a cat when they were newly married. Later, after Freddy and Ginny were born, they soon added a dog, Bambi, and later a cat, Boots. He passed his love of animals along to his family.

Fred had a love of the ocean, and his family often vacationed on Long Beach Island, NJ. In 1966, they bought a vacation cottage in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island. Many weekends and weeks were spent vacationing there and enjoying the beach, ocean and fishing. Fred owned two boats over the years, and there were many fishing trips, which was thrilling for everyone.

After retirement, Fred and Nita had wonderful memories from taking many trips, including trips to Las Vegas and Florida, cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean, Girard College reunions and visiting Ginny and her family in Idaho. Some of his many hobbies included making stained glass with Nita, fishing, carpentry (a lifelong hobby that began as a boy at Girard College), gardening and yardwork, word search and Sudoku puzzles, and attending Philadelphia Phillies baseball games. He greatly enjoyed Girard College reunions as well as monthly luncheons with other retirees from Ford. He had a witty sense of humor and loved making others laugh, both with his jokes or with his unusual socks that he loved to wear.

Fred and Nita sold their home on Hazel Avenue in North Hills, PA, after living there for over 63 years. They relocated to Meridian, ID, in June of 2019 to be closer to their daughter Ginny and her family. Together, Fred and Nita were well taken care of by the staff at The Touchmark Senior living facility and by Ginny and her family. Fred passed away peacefully in his sleep, with family by his side, on February 16, 2020.

Fred was predeceased by his parents and sister Suzanne. Fred is survived by his dear wife Juanita, his son Fred and daughter-in-law Mary, daughter Ginny and son-in-law Kevin, 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Fred and Nita were married for 64 and half years. We love and honor Fred and will miss him dearly. He left a legacy that lives on inside each of us.