Obituary of Marjorie Lorraine Hubbard

Marjorie L Hubbard (nee Gallear)

Born in Pt Townsend, Washington on June 5, 1936, the sixth child, fifth surviving child of Albert Stephen Gallear and Margret Curry Gallear. Her children are Gary Hubbard II (Christine), Cheryl Ford (Mike) and Leslie Paul Hubbard – decease. Marj’s grandchildren are Christopher Ford, Hope Marie Ford, Gary Hubbard III and Susan Hubbard. Marj is also survived by her great grandchildren Kiah Ford, Gabrielle Ford and Nolan Hubbard.  Her siblings were Warren Gallear (deceased in infancy) Eldon Gallear- deceased (Rose), Darrell Gallear- deceased, (Marguerite), Margret Jean Gallear McElroy Hummell (Paul and Walter) deceased and Stanton Gallear (Lois) deceased. Her nieces and nephews include: Rick, Ileta, Jennifer, Pat, Mike, Karen, Sheila and Tara; Darrell, James Scott, Laura; Sharon and Gail; Guy -deceased, David, Dennis, Mark and Jackie.

Marj grew up on a dairy farm in Chimacum, WA, loving the freedom of running and playing. In school, she was an indifferent student but she excelled at dance, dancing with her father and brother at the grange dances and taking ballet with her life-long friend Heather Gildon. She was such a good dancer; her teacher remarked she could have been a professional ballerina. She graduated from Chimacum High School in 1954.

Mom went to community college in Taft, CA for 1 year, where she lived with Darrell, Marguerite, and baby Darrell. She returned home after one year, spend the summer at home then moved to the YWCA in Seattle and worked for Ma Bell. She met her husband, Gary E Hubbard at a Sadie Hawkins dance at the “Y” when he rescued her from a poor dancer. They married on May 12, 1956.

Gary the II was born in Seattle in June of 1957, the family moved to Amarillo, Texas and then Riverside, CA where Cheryl was born on Dec 10, 1958. Mom went to stay with her parents in Chimacum, WA for a few months when Leslie was born in Pt Townsend on Dec 1, 1959. The family subsequently moved to Everett and then Tacoma where Leslie died of leukemia.

From 1965 to 1968, we lived on Okinawa, where Marj enjoyed learning many creative things, flower arranging and ceramics among them. She even had Gary and me painting ceramics too!

Then the family moved back to Tacoma, where she became Mrs. Santa Claus at the Christmas time for her brother-in-law Paul McElroy who had a Santa House in the Villa Plaza.

1970 found Marj and family moving to Texas where she went to school to be a physician’s assistant, working for an insurance company doing physicals. During the summer of 1971, we drove up to Chimacum, WA to celebrate Marj’s parent’s 50^th anniversary with the whole Gallear Family.

In 1972, Marj and family moved to Woodbridge England where Marj enjoyed making English friends, learning how to paint, spinning and weaving, and traveled to Italy. In the summer of 1974, Marj, Gary, Aunt Jean, Sharon, Gail and Cheryl spent a month camping around England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein, Germany and Belgium. In England, we went to Iron Bridge and Little Winlock in search of great Grandpa and Grandma Gallear history and found the church they were married.

In 1975 Marj, Gary II and Cheryl returned to Tacoma. Whenever returning to Tacoma we would always stay with Aunt Jean and family, until we were able to find a place to live. In 1976 Marj, Gary and Gary II went to Alaska to visit Uncle Eldon and pan for gold. They weren't successful at panning, but Marj fell in love with Alaska and returned several times including once with her niece Sharon, and another time to camp up to the Arctic Circle with Eldon.

 In 1980, she and Gary bought Great Aunt Mooney’s home in North Tacoma where she lived until about 2001. At that time Marj sold her home, bought a large car and drove herself across the USA going through Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas and on to Georgia. Marj went to live with Hope Marie and care for Kiah. They quickly moved to New Port News and stayed there for 3 years.

After New Port News, Marj returned to WA and lived with Mike and Cheryl for a short time. She has always supported missionaries and she had the chance to go to the Ukraine for a couple of weeks helping with the missionaries there. She was thrilled with the experience.  After returning to WA, she purchased a cabin in  Packwood, WA. Marj found her forever place in Packwood, painting, volunteering in the local thrift shop and walking. She then found herself moving to Landstahl Germany to be with Marie and Kiah again. While in Germany, she and the girls did a great deal of traveling together, visiting nearby cities and countries. She spend 2 weeks in Israel, a week in Rome, a long weekend in Majorca and Paris. Marj also floated down the Nile  with Marie and Kiah. We were blessed to spend 10 days in Portugal with Mom, Hope Marie, Kiah, Gary and Chris. 

During this time Marj also had the blessing of cruising the Carribean with her brother Darrell and his family and also visiting Hawaii with the.  Mom then to a cruise with her friend Heath across the Alantic to France, Holland and Demark.

Mom then returned to Packwood and thoroughly enjoyed her independence, traveling on short tours here and there. In 2016, Marj went to Florida to celebrate Kiah’s graduation from High School and mom’s 80^th Birthday.  We fulfilled one of Marj’s life long dreams, driving down to Key West, to see the bridges. There were many trips to Texas to see Gary, Chris, Gary and Susu and then Nolan as well. 

Mom was a devout Christian, holding tightly onto Christ. She met with a special circle of friends, “the Ladies of Parkland” – the Church she was a part of for many years, starting in 1963 and attending when living in the area. Marj continued to drive down to the Parkland – Spanaway area to meet with ladies when she could.

Mom had a quiet acceptance about her, people found her approachable and loving. Mom didn’t say much, but when she spoke, it was important. She also had a great sense of humor! She loved to laugh and did it frequently.

We were and are very proud of our Mom, grateful for all she has done for us (in the past and still in the future.) She was not afraid of death, as her illness became more pronounces she was looking forward to “Going home to heaven.”  Blessing to you Mom

Born 6-5-1936  Death 5-3-2020.

There will be a Celebration of Life at Yelm Cementary the end of June, specific date and time to be announced.

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