Col. John S. Garbett
June 3, 1920 – December 19, 2014
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John S. Garbett, 94, of Sun City Center, passed away December 19, 2014, surrounded by family.
Born in Canton, Ohio, on June 3, 1920, John grew up in Royal Oak, Mich., and graduated from St. Petersburg (Fla.) High School. He worked as a draftsman in LaPorte, Ind., before enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Deployed to North Africa in January 1943, he flew P-38s in 50 combat missions, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters. John instructed in P-38s upon returning to the U.S. before serving in Korea. Transitioning to the Comptroller field in the early days of computers, he retired after 24 years of active service, becoming President of the Richards-Gebaur AFB Federal Credit Union for 20 years.
<a href="/assets/images/uploads/wp/2014/12/flag-in-color3.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-8682" src="/assets/images/uploads/wp/2014/12/flag-in-color3-150x150.jpg" alt="flag-in-color" width="150" height="150" /></a>John and his wife Margaret moved to Sun City Center in 1992 as the first residents of Freedom Plaza. He was involved in Rotary International, barbershop quartet singing, the MOAA, MOWW and the VFW. At Freedom Plaza, John served as a Trustee for Military Support Family Trust and on the ROC Board of Directors for 19 years, performing as President and Chairman of the Board and Treasurer. He also served on the church Vestry at St. John the Divine, and sang in the church choir.
He is survived by wife Margaret Garbett; children William John Garbett, Susan Garbett Lawter and Megan Knapp; grandchildren Angie Garbett, Allison Lawter and David Grandon; and sister Halcyone Watkins. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Janet E. Ramsay, grandson Brian Garbett, and sisters Bernice Miller and Beverly Bowman.
Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 27, at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 1015 E. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City Center. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to the Military Family Support Trust, 1010 American Eagle Blvd., Sun City Center, FL 33573, or the charity of your choice.
John S. Garbett, 94, of Sun City Center, passed away December 19, 2014, surrounded by family.
Born in Canton, Ohio, on June 3, 1920, John grew up in Royal Oak, Mich., and graduated from St. Petersburg (Fla.) High School. He worked as a draftsman in LaPorte, Ind., before enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Deployed to North Africa in January 1943, he flew P-38s in 50 combat missions, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters. John instructed in P-38s upon returning to the U.S. before serving in Korea. Transitioning to the Comptroller field in the early days of computers, he retired after 24 years of active service, becoming President of the Richards-Gebaur AFB Federal Credit Union for 20 years.
<a href="/assets/images/uploads/wp/2014/12/flag-in-color3.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-8682" src="/assets/images/uploads/wp/2014/12/flag-in-color3-150x150.jpg" alt="flag-in-color" width="150" height="150" /></a>John and his wife Margaret moved to Sun City Center in 1992 as the first residents of Freedom Plaza. He was involved in Rotary International, barbershop quartet singing, the MOAA, MOWW and the VFW. At Freedom Plaza, John served as a Trustee for Military Support Family Trust and on the ROC Board of Directors for 19 years, performing as President and Chairman of the Board and Treasurer. He also served on the church Vestry at St. John the Divine, and sang in the church choir.
He is survived by wife Margaret Garbett; children William John Garbett, Susan Garbett Lawter and Megan Knapp; grandchildren Angie Garbett, Allison Lawter and David Grandon; and sister Halcyone Watkins. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Janet E. Ramsay, grandson Brian Garbett, and sisters Bernice Miller and Beverly Bowman.
Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 27, at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 1015 E. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City Center. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to the Military Family Support Trust, 1010 American Eagle Blvd., Sun City Center, FL 33573, or the charity of your choice.