Life Sketch of Robert Mitchell Garbett
Written September 22, 1992
By his youngest son, Harold D. Garbett
Robert M., son of Samuel George Garbett and Elizabeth Mitchell Garbett, was born in Salt Lake City, December 4, 1886. When he was 12 years old the family moved to Pocatello. This was after his Grandfather Garbett?eath in 1899 which was nine years after Idaho gained statehood.
Like many young men at the turn of the century, he considered his formal education completed when he graduated from the 8th grade. He was educationally ambitious however, and continued to learn by self study on his own as he could find a few minutes of free time each day. He later became well known for his public speaking ability and was asked to speak on numerous occasions, primarily in S.E. Idaho communities. He was a well read, self-educated person who loved to participate in a good discussion.
Robert was of average build standing 5?tall, weighing 150-160 lbs. He had dark brown almost black hair and dark brown eyes. He had a natural ability, to help people with their problems, to lead with compassion, forgiveness and love. He held leadership positions most of his life, which gave him the opportunity to lead by example. I never heard him speak unkindly of anyone, to use harsh words or to be anything but of even disposition. He was truly a fine man, respected and loved by all who knew him. In his lifetime he was not privileged to become a grandfather although he would have been the best.
When Robert M. was just 16 mo. old and his brother, Sam 25 days old, his mother passed away. His father married Beatrice Swift when Robert M. was 5 years old. They were the parents of eleven additional children: Marie, George A., Alma ?ttie??illian, Wilford, Edwin ?, Alice, Marguerite, Jim, Anona and Genevieve ?e??lt;br> Beatrice died Feb.16, 1914 leaving 12 children at home without a mother. At that time Robert M. was the only married child. Ten years later on July 23, 1924 his father a Pocatello Police Detective was killed in the line of duty. Heavy responsibility fell upon the shoulders of all 12 children, seven still living at home. Roberts Brother Wilford had died earlier in 1919. The family was able to stay together in their home at 355 N. 7th until each had married or were established independently in full time occupations. Robert M. talked about riding horses on the river bottoms, as a young man, north of Pocatello, on the Indian Reservation. He and his brother Sam made friends with the Indian people and I can remember during my childhood when the Indian families would come to town for a few days at a time in the summer and set their teepees across the street from our house on North 10th Ave. My father and mother were always generous in sharing their home canned fruit and vegetables with the Indian families who visited with them.
Prior to being called to serve a 2 year mission for the LDS Church in St. Louis, Missouri in 1910, Robert M. drove a team of horses for the Joseph Hawkes Moving and Transfer Co. and the Pocatello Mercantile Co. Later he drove a motorized truck, one of the first in Pocatello for the Fargo-Wilson-Wells Mercantile Co. When he returned home following his mission he helped his father homestead the Garbett Ranch at Crystal, Arbon Valley.
On June 18, 1913, Robert M. married Charlotte S. ?tie??mson in Salt Lake City. They became the parents of four children: Evelyn, Helen, Robert S. ???nd Harold D. All the children were born and raised in Pocatello. Bob died Jan 26, 1970. After Robert M. and Charlotte they purchased a house at 955 N. 10th which became their only family home.
Robert M. held leadership positions throughout his life, including a Bishops counselor on two occasions and as the Bishop of the Pocatello Fourth Ward for nine years. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Pocatello Stake High Council. It was during his tenure as Bishop with Heber J. Hansen and William J. Wilson, counselors, George V. Croshaw, ward clerk that the new Fourth Ward chapel was built on the corner of Sublette St. and North Tenth Ave. This 2 year construction (1936-1938) in the middle of the depression, was a highly challenging undertaking since so many of the good people within ward boundaries were struggling to provide the necessities for their families. Very close friendships developed as a result of this experience which have lasted a lifetime and into the following generations.
Robert M. worked 8 years for Zions Wholesales Grocers, primarily as a salesman. The last 8 years with Scowcroft and Sons, he was the warehouse foreman. In 1937, he purchased his own grocery store located on South 8th Ave. which he operated for 5 years with the assistance of his 2 sons, Bob and Harold. At the start of World War II, in 1941, Bob left for service and Robert M. decided to sell his business. He was appointed Bannock County Probation Officer working with Probate Judge Willard Lund. In 1944 he accepted employment with the U.S. Army Air Corps working at the Pocatello Air Base, later transferring to the U.S. Naval Ordinance Plant as the Plants Shipping and Receiving Clerk. A position he held at the time of his sudden and untimely death of a massive heart attack on July 18, 1945. At that time his two sons were overseas, Bob in Europe serving with the U.S. Army Field Artillery, Harold in the southwest Pacific Islands as Army Air Corps Combat crew member and his son-in-law Joe Ahlschlager serving in the infantry in Italy. None of the 3 servicemen were able to come home for the funeral and pay their final respects to a loving father and husband and highly respected member of the community. |
