John Dewitt Garber

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of John Dewitt Garber which occurred the evening of November 24, 2019. He was surrounded by the love and support of his family. He is survived by his wife Carol Garber; his daughter Melinda Lockhart and her husband Rob Lockhart; his son Barry Garber; his brother Noel Looney along with John's grandchildren; Hailey & Cole Lockhart and Olivia & Logan Garber.

John was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 24, 1937 to the parents of Marion Danks & Dewitt Garber. He could be described as your classic overachiever, winning the New Mexico state high school wrestling championship in 1956. After high school, he put himself through college on a football scholarship at the University of New Mexico as a 5'10"", 180-pound offensive guard. He became captain of the team & earned All American Honorable mention before graduating. His head football coach at UNM was Marv Levy, who later went on to coach the Buffalo Bills to 4 Super Bowl appearances. In Coach Levy's book titled ""Who Else Would You Rather Be"", Marv describes how John held his own in a game against Utah State, where John faced a future NFL Hall of Fame player Merlin Olsen who stood 6'5"" and 270 pounds.

While in the last few years of college, John took a summer job working for Standard Oil as a service station attendant. After his college football career had ended, he turned down the opportunity to play professional football when he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders. He stayed in school & received his Business Degree and decided to stay with Chevron and had over 36 years of service. His strong work ethic had him rapidly climbing the corporate ladder at Chevron, earning him numerous promotions and 11 relocations along the way. He worked in the corporate headquarters in San Francisco, where he was responsible for all the service stations in the U.S. and Hawaii. The last relocation was to Houston, Texas where he represented Chevron on the Board of March of Dimes & United Way.

After retiring at the age of 58, John built his dream home overlooking Lake Travis in Austin, Texas. The home was a crowning jewel for the entire family, having been designed by John's brother Noel Looney, who studied and graduated from the University of Southern California, School of Architecture. He loved hosting family and friends during 4^th of July BBQ's and other gatherings. He especially enjoyed boating and taking his children and grandchildren water skiing on the lake.

At the core, John Garber was a family man. The motivation for his strong commitment at work was providing the best possible life for his family. In the face of his demanding career he somehow managed to be highly involved in raising his children, along with his wife who he loved and adored to the end.

Please join us in celebrating the life of John D. Garber on January 11^th at 11 am @ Horan & McConaty located at 1091 S Colorado Blvd. Denver, Co. 80246.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in John's memory to Saint Judes Children's Hospital.

Celebration of Life: January 11, 2020 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Horan & McConaty - South Denver
1091 S. Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80246

Celebration of Life Reception: January 11, 2020 12:00 pm

Horan & McConaty - South Denver
1091 S. Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80246