Gilbert “Gibby” LaFave Sr.

Gibby was born on Jan. 10, 1941, at Ford Hospital in Iron Mountain, the son of the late Joseph Napoleon and Margaret (Goulette) LaFave. He attended Iron Mountain schools, graduating from Iron Mountain High School in 1959. He then went on to Barber School in Detroit, completing his schooling in 1962. He returned home and was the owner and operator of Gib’s Barber Shop on the Northside of Iron Mountain for more than 18 years.

Gibby was very active, in not just the Iron Mountain area, but the county and the entire Upper Peninsula. He served as the Chairman of the Barber’s Union Local 979 for 20 years until its end, on the County Board of Commissioners for 15 years, for the Dickinson/Iron/Baraga Community Services for 12 years, and on the Iron Mountain City Council for 4 years. Gilbert was a life-long resident of Iron Mountain and a long-time member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. In his free time, Gibby loved being involved in politics, spending time at the family camp and was an avid hunter.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Gene “Beany” LaFave, on Aug. 21, 2012.

Gibby Sr. is survived by two sisters, Nancy (Ed) McCarthy of Muskegon, Mich. and Jane (John) Dore’ of Lucadia, Calif.; his children, Joseph (BJ) LaFave of Iron Mountain, James LaFave of Capistrano, Calif., Gilbert “Gibby” (Crystal) LaFave Jr. of Iron Mountain, and Lacy (Holden Pinkard) LaFave of Florida; daughter in-law, Mona LaFave of Iron Mountain; grandchildren, Audrey LaFave, Beau LaFave, Brad (Brittany) LaFave, Adam (Heather) LaFave, Gabe LaFave, Evan LaFave, Desi LaFave, Trevor LaFave, and Kayla LaFave, and Kendall Pinkard; great-grandchildren, Courtney LaFave, Caiden LaFave, Carter LaFave, Carsen LaFave, Laila LaFave, and Savannah LaFave; and he is further survived by his first wife of 10 years, Barbara (Beauchamp) Poupore; and his second wife of 20 years, Mary (Drury) Peterson.

The visitation will be held on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home of Iron Mountain, complete with bagpipes, as was Gib’s wish.

The Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on the North Side, where Msgr. James Kaczmarek will offer the Mass of Christian Burial, with interment to follow in Iron Mountain Cemetery Park.

His remaining living children, Joseph, James, Gibby Jr. and Lacy LaFave will serve as pallbearers. The funeral procession will be led by the Iron Mountain Police Department, followed by three black Cadillac Escalades, as was Gibby Sr.’s directive, followed by the hearse, more cops with lights and sirens, and lastly the procession of vehicles containing the LaFave family patriarch’s friends and extended family. He wanted to go out in style.

In lieu of flowers a memorial will be established in Gibby Sr.’s memory.

Gibby wished to thank his good friend Dr. Donald Jacobs for saving his life with the diagnosis of diabetes as a child. It was because of this lifelong battle with diabetes that he donated his organs to the Joslin Diabetes Center of Boston.

It is his sincere hope that the research institute will be able to change the lives of those suffering from this disease, and perhaps bring us one step closer to a cure for Type I Diabetes.

He also wanted to thank his extended family of nurses and caregivers at the Golden Living Center for their wonderful care of him while at their facility. Gibby will be missed, and his death is truly the end of an era.

Condolences may be expressed to the family of Gilbert “Gibby” LaFave, Sr. online at www.ernashfuneralhomes.com.

The family has entrusted the Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home of Iron Mountain with the arrangements.