Michael Harold Garbera, Jr.

Michael Harold Garbera, Jr. passed away on Sunday, February 28 th at the Abraham House in Rome, NY at the age of 83.  He was born in Richfield Springs, NY on January 5 th , 1938 to Michael H. Garbera, Sr. and his wife Mary H. Garbera (néePeplinski, remarried Kardys) and was the youngest of their three children.  He married Morganna Ellen Garbera (née Coleman) on February 15 th , 1958 at St. Mary's "Our Lady of the Lake" Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown, NY, after which they moved into his childhood home in the hamlet of South Columbia, NY and where they would spend the next 60 years together and raise five children.

Born into a loving family of Polish heritage, he would speak fondly of his childhood and his family's Polish customs and traditions.  He loved the Polish foods made by his mother and, after his marriage, his wife Morganna.  He loved large gatherings and reunions where people could reconnect, laugh, and dance to Polka music (he was a great dancer).  A child of the 1940's and 1950's, he loved this period in America and would talk of it often.  He embodied the best ideals of the time, and while he may have lamented the changing world around him, we know that the values and qualities he held onto most strongly are the ones that are actually timeless and transcendent: honesty, integrity, work ethic, and a ceaseless support for the underdog.  He loved his pastoral life near the Town of Richfield Springs, and he was proud to have had the opportunity to serve his country for eight years in the Army Reserves.

Underpinning the fond recollections of his youth was a simple truth: he was a family man first and foremost, and sought always to provide a childhood for his children that was as happy and fun as his own.  Strict but fair as a father, he loved to spend time with his children fishing in the summer and tobogganing down hills in the winter.  He loved family trips where they could adventure together, and holiday gatherings such as Easter when he would create maps and riddles for egg hunts with his grandchildren.  He loved to play Pitch, poker, and board games, times when his wonderful sense of humor and loud laughterwould be shared with all.

Exceptionally talented and intelligent, he learned to fix almost anything, often through self-instruction, correspondence classes, and simple tinkering.  Meticulous by nature, even in his youth, his desire for precision and accuracy pervaded all aspects of his life.  One could see it in the pride he took in his clothes and appearance, in the effort he spent on his lawn and home, and in the ways he organized his tools and paperwork.  It was evident in the focus and determination he made in his ever-expanding list of hobbies, from target shooting with rifles to karate to horseshoes to bowling to golf, with each new craze accompanied by passionate research, study, practice, documentation, and, ultimately, explanation to any nearby audience willing to lend an ear (how many of us have had to hear "I figured it out!" one day only to see the slate wiped clean the next?).  And it is ultimately what made him so well suited and successful as a toolmaker and machinist for over 40 years at various companies in Utica, NY, including General Electric, Chicago Pneumatic, and Utica Corporation.  He loved working with his hands and the opportunity to hone his crafts, including tool sharpening, design, engineering, and testing, and never stopped learning and adapting, proudly earning an Associate in Applied Science degree for Mechanical Engineering Technology at the age of 58.

He once said "All parents are teachers."  While we obviously miss him as a father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, it is as a teacher where his absence will be most felt.  When he reminisced about better times, he was teaching us his values and the qualities he most admired.  When he expressed his love of heritage and country, he was teaching us to always be proud of who you are and from where you came, to take the best parts of your past and hold onto them though the times around you may change.  When he spent his time fishing and sledding, he was teaching his children the importance of family, of spending time together, of the adventurous world around you, and of the importance of traditions and customs.  When he worked hard, he was teaching us the importance of determination and pride in a job well done, and how the party that followed was always more enjoyable because the tough work was behind you.  And when he learned and changed with the passing of the years, he showed us that the best students are the ones who never stop learning, and the best teachers are the ones who never stop teaching.  In the end, if his stories and explanations would ramble too long, it was the inevitable result of a man who could not distinguish between work and play, who saw all of life as a fascinating classroom, and who assumed his audience naturally shared thissame enthusiasm.  He wanted to learn, and he wanted to share what he discovered.

We will always remember his love of coffee and zip-up sweaters.  We will be reminded of him each March during the NCAA basketball tournament, which he loved watching, rooting for his Syracuse Orange and the Big East.  And perhaps most of all we will remember his love of animals, especially dogs, and the joy he would have playing with them and going for long walks down railroad tracks and through forested paths.  In recognition of this love and in lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in his memory tothe Herkimer County Humane Society.

He is survived by his sister Mary Jane Coretti (née Garbera) of Jacksonville, FL; his daughter Brenda Babcock and her husband Rodger Babcock of Jacksonville, FL; his son Michael Garbera III and his fiancée Bianca Kessler of Richfield Springs, NY; hisson Gregory Garbera and his wife Ramona Garbera of Phoenix, AZ; his daughter Lisa Vanwinkler and her husband Mitchell Vanwinkler of Richfield Springs, NY, with whom he happilylived since 2017; and his son Chad Garbera and his wife Farzaneh Samie of South Glastonbury, CT.  He is survived by nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, including: Shannon Babcock and her children Jace and Janae of Jacksonville, FL; Jessica Ibarra (née Babcock) and her daughter Cecilia of Jacksonville, FL; Michael S. Garbera of Port Jervis, NY; Gregory J. Garbera and his children Aria and Gavin of Mesa, AZ; Matthew Garbera and his sons Jaden, Christian, and Jordan of Glendale, AZ; Tia Vanwinkler of Richfield Springs, NY; Taylor Vanwinkler of Denver, CO; and Armaan and Aidan Garbera of South Glastonbury, CT.  He was predeceased by his wife Morganna after celebrating 62 years together; his sister Frances Lepine (née Garbera) and her husband Dennis; and his brother-in-law George Coretti.

Calling hours for both Michael and his wife Morganna, who passed away less than seven months prior on August 11 th , 2020, will be from 5:00-7:00 on June 4 th , 2021 at J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home (40 West James St., Richfield Springs, NY), to be followed by a joint memorial service at the same location starting at 7:00.  A joint burial service will be held at 11:00 on June 5 th at St. Joseph's Cemetery (145 Cemetery Rd, Richfield Springs, NY).