Gary Austin Gibbons

Gary Austin Gibbons July 31, 1949 – August 12, 2015

Former Friday Harbor resident and long-time Sheriff’s Office Dispatcher, Gary Gibbons, died Aug 12, 2015 in Victoria Canada of bladder cancer.

Gary graduated from Mt. Tahoma H.S. in Tacoma in 1964; Bates Vocational Institute in Broadcasting in 1966; and Tacoma Community College in 1976 in Journalism and Business. Gary was a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1963 to 1993 serving as a Communications Supervisor. He was on active duty in Viet Nam from 1966 to 1968 where he was exposed to Agent Orange. He was recalled to active duty in 1991 to serve in the Persian Gulf during the First Gulf War, and earned the Meritorious Service Medal.

Gary was News Director and talk show host on KAYE Broadcasting in Puyallup from 1970 to 1973; Communications Supervisor for the City of Puyallup from 1973 to 1980; Vice President of Forrest and Gibbons Communications Consulting from 1980 to 1983; Support Services Manager for the Kodiak Alaska Police Dept from 1983 to 1985; a board member of KMXT Public Radio in Kodiak from 1983 to 1985; and Communications Specialist for King County Police Dept before moving to Friday Harbor.

After moving to Friday Harbor, Gary served as the Public Information Officer for the Town of Friday Harbor Fire Dept for several years, and as a Dispatcher with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years.

Gary was a member of the Tacoma and Kodiak Elks Club, the American Legion, the Puyallup Valley Lions Club, plus several professional organizations.

For the last 10 years, Gary hosted an internet radio blues and jazz program. He also liked to paint, read, and golf, and was a gourmet cook. He shared his culinary creations and coffee with fellow workers here at the Sheriff’s Office where he worked from 1997 to 2009.

He had a great sense of humor and was always willing to lend a hand to his friends and with various community organizations.

Gary will be sorely missed by his wife of 18 years, Lorrie; his children Tiffany, Natalie and Darren; grandchildren Henry, Isla and Mira; and of course his friends and co-workers at the Sheriff’s Office – his Friday Harbor family.

A memorial service was held in Tacoma on Aug 22, and a private ceremony shall be held in Victoria, B.C.

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