Mr. Robert Dale Garry

My Father was born in Bridgewater, South Dakota, in 1927, to a family of eight children. His parents were farmers, and all of the members of the family worked the farm. In order to earn his own money, he also worked for other farmers, dug graves when needed, and stoked the furnace with coal every Sunday morning. He tells the story that the church would keep deceased members of the parish in the basement until burial. This was the same room which housed the furnace. Needless to say, when one of the recently deceased began to somehow sit up, my Father ran as fast as he could up the stairs never to stoke the furnace again!

He spoke very fondly of his Catholic school upbringing. He said that the sisters had a zero tolerance for any laughing or practical jokes, so he was often struck with the ruler! He dreamed of moving to California and away from the snow after watching numerous movies. He joined the Navy and was stationed in San Francisco. He met my Mother on a blind date which was initiated by his Navy friend and my Mother’s best friend. According to my Mother, she lied to her Mother to be able to go out with my Father. The four friends drove to Santa Cruz and, according to my parents, necked the whole way home! My father immediately fell in love with my Mother and her Mother’s great Italian cooking. They were married after my Mother graduated from high school and proceeded to start their family. He starting working for K.P.F. Electric Company while living in San Francisco and moved to Stockton when the company relocated.

My Father was a very religious man who enjoyed attending Mass. After retirement, he would attend Mass every day, and he made sure that we all attended Mass and made First Communion and Confirmation. My Father also had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh. I can remember him singing many inappropriate songs as a child and always telling jokes (which were also usually inappropriate). He loved making his Mother-In-Law mad by teasing and saying inappropriate things. She would yell, and then we would all laugh. He loved my Mother deeply and was always teasing and trying to pinch her. She too would yell, and we would all laugh.

My Father loved life and never had a bad word to say about anyone. As a young child, our family spent many times visiting the Zoo, beach, and Play Land in San Francisco. He would always tease the chimpanzees, at least until one of them sprayed him with a mouthful of water. Even though my Mother would always remind him to not allow me to get wet, I always came back with wet shoes and socks. If I wasn’t trying to outrun the waves, he would encourage me to do so. If we went to Play Land, he was there teasing us and trying to get us to go on rides which we didn’t want to do because they looked to scary.

My Father was very happy when the Sauves and Storms moved into the neighborhood and especially when Frank and Eleanor Carr moved in next door. My Dad loved it when Frank would come over to visit and share a glass of wine. My parents loved their many trips together with Frank and Eleanor to Reno where my Dad often came home with extra money in his pocket.

He was also elated when his Grandsons starting arriving. He had a total of 10 grandsons whom he loved very much. Even when two grandsons used to get into mischief, he would usually have a good laugh after blowing off some steam. I always thought it was ironic that these two particular grandsons were named after him!

My Father was blessed with a loving family and friends. He was a good, honest man who will be deeply missed by everyone he touched.

My Father was born in Bridgewater, South Dakota, in 1927, to a family of eight children. His parents were farmers, and all of the members of the family worked the farm. In order to earn his own money, he also worked for other farmers, dug graves when needed, and stoked the furnace with coal every Sunday morning. He tells the story that the church would keep deceased members of the parish in the basement until burial. This was the same room which housed the furnace. Needless to say, when one of the recently deceased began to somehow sit up, my Father ran as fast as he could up the stairs never to stoke the furnace again!

He spoke very fondly of his Catholic school upbringing. He said that the sisters had a zero tolerance for any laughing or practical jokes, so he was... READ MORE →