Gary Gordon Brumbaugh

Gary Gordon Brumbaugh, of Albany, died July 22, 2023, at age 86 after a 5-year battle with Lewy Body Dementia. His daughter Debbie was grateful to be with him at his passing.  His wife Lola of almost 62 years preceded him in death 5 years previously.

Gary was an only child, born to Wes and Earline Brumbaugh in Pasadena, Ca on June 30, 1937.  He moved around a lot and attended many schools, graduating from John Muir High School where he met Lola Marlene Rosenberger. He was an esteemed member of the car club “Sabers of Pasadena” whose mission was to give aide to motorists, while she was a member of a social club the “Shady O’Keys” whose mission was to meet these young “Sabers”.  They married early in November of 1956 and soon after he enlisted in the Navy and served aboard the USS Blue DD 744 where he worked as an electronics technician and radio operator.   When he returned, they raised 4 children.  Gary Brumbaugh (Penney) was the first, followed by John Brumbaugh (Connie), Debbie Baker (Matt) and Tim Brumbaugh (Brenda).  Gary Sr was an involved father, coaching baseball, scout mastering, and heading up a hiking group for teens and young adults.  He took a group, including some of his grandchildren, on the Free Emigrant Road, which was a branch of the Oregon Trail that our ancestors used to migrate to Eugene Oregon. Gary played a significant role in finding and documenting this almost-forgotten trail for the sake of Oregon historians.

Gary and Lola lived in La Crescenta, Ca until they got fed up with the traffic.   In 1975, without any job prospects, they sold their home and moved with their children to Albany OR.  They bought a 10-acre farm along with some cows, sheep, pigs, and a few horses.  His youngest son Tim eventually bought the property and Mom and Dad built another home on the property for themselves.  Currently, Tim’s oldest son and his wife live in this home with their young family.  Dad and Mom would have liked that!

 After moving to Albany, Gary was soon employed as an Analytical Chemist at Wah Chang  (Manufacturer of Zirconium, Halfnium, and other specialty metals). While busy keeping up the farm, he found time to hike.  He hiked 1700 miles of the Pacific Coast Trail!  He passed on his love for backpacking to his children and to his 15 grandchildren (and maybe to his 6 great grandchildren!). He also passed on a love of skiing.  He built a cabin in Bend, OR, and after retiring from Wah Chang in 2000, Gary spent his winters skiing at Mount Bachelor.  He worked as a ski lift operator there until his mid 70’s while his wife, Lola, worked in the mountains day care center. I believe that the infant room is still called the “Lola Room” today.  He and Lola enjoyed traveling and went to Mexico with their daughter and her family every summer. They had a full and wonderful life and will be deeply missed by many. Goodbye Papa and thank you for introducing me to the Flying Dutchman run. Nobody appreciated it as much as we did.

A private family celebration of life is being planned for later this fall.

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