Raymond Garbiel

Raymond Garbiel, 85, of Main Road, Gill passed away peacefully in his sleep at home.  He was born in Greenfield on June 29, 1936, the son of John S. and Anna (Sadowski) Garbiel.  He was raised on his family’s tobacco, vegetable, and flower farm in Sunderland. 
A 1954 graduate of Deerfield High School, he was a standout baseball pitcher lettering all 4 years. He graduated from UMass Amherst in 1960 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. 
Ray was a mathematics teacher at Turners Falls High School for over thirty years, serving as Department Chair for over two decades before his retirement. He loved teaching math and spoke of his students with fond memories up until his passing. He coached girls’ tennis and freshman baseball. 
 He served as treasurer and a member of the finance committee for the Town of Gill and served on the Gill School Committee for twelve years.  
He was a self-taught lifelong artist. As recently as this past week he was working on a floral arrangement of pansies. He was former President of the Deerfield Valley Arts Association, member of Springfield Academic Art Association, and Southern Vermont Arts Center. He enjoyed rides with him family throughout New England taking photographs to inspire his work. He especially loved the Maine coast and covered bridges and last month toured six of them in Southern New Hampshire.
He and his wife Mary Jane ran The Slate Shoppe for over twenty years selling his artistic creations on slates and t-shirts at New England craft shows. His artwork was often displayed in local banks and hospitals. 
Ray was a huge classical music fan and collected thousands of records. He was known for his dry wit and loved a good joke.  
Among his survivors, Ray leaves his beloved wife of fifty-six years, Mary Jane (Puhala) Garbiel; a daughter, Liz Mayers (Andy) of Huntington, NY; a son, John Garbiel (Sheelagh) of Palm Beach Gardens, FL; a grandson, Adam R. Garbiel; and several cousins, sisters in law and brothers in law. 
Funeral services and burial will be private.  
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Deerfield Valley Arts Association, 105 Main Street, Northfield, MA 01342 or to the Joslin Diabetes Center, Inc., One Joslin Place
Boston, MA 02215. 
Arrangements are under the direction of the Kostanski Funeral Home.  For condolences, please visit www.kostanskifuneralhome.com.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Raymond Garbiel, please visit our floral store.