OBITUARY: GERALD PEEBLER
La Mirada lost a giant in the community last Monday as Gerald Peebler, owner of Olive Lawn Memorial Park passed away this past Monday at the age of 96.
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| Gerald Peebler at the La Mirada Blog Fest August 21, 2012 where he was honored as a "La Mirada Legend." |
He was a member of La Mirada Kiwanis, a former president of the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce and long-time community servant.
He was the lore of La Mirada in every sense of the word.
He was born September 20, 1918 in Canada and first arrived in La Mirada in 1928 when his dad Byron Peebler and a partner eventually took over an abandoned cemetery at Luitwieler (LM Blvd) and Alicante (at that time an extension of Rosecrans). The cemetery original opened in 1924.
His first memory of La Mirada was as a a fourteen year-old kid in 1932, saying in 2012, “There were solid olive tree groves across the street (today’s Biola University), scary groves, dark groves.”
The cemetery formerly known as Graceland, was renamed Olive Lawn-named after those many trees nearby from the McNally Ranch.
While they were helping run Olive Lawn part-time, the Peebler kids including Gerald, helped their parents Byron and Ethel, run the Coachella Valley’s first successful laundry business in Indio from 1927-47.
In 1947, Byron Peebler and Ethel moved to La Mirada full-time to run Olive Lawn as they took over full ownership of the cemetery.
In 1946, Gerald and his wife Harriet opened and operated the “first drive-through cleaners in the country” in Santa Ana until 1972.
Gerald and Harriet were married in in 1941 after meeting in 1939 when Harriet was a sophomore at a high school in Indio.
Gerald and Harriet took over full operation of Olive Lawn Memorial Park in 1977 until recently as their son Scott has now taken over operation and ownership.
In 2011 to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary, Gerald, 93, and Harriet, 90, traveled across the country alone in their automobile to visit relatives in Connecticut and places in-between with Gerald driving all 9,000+ miles himself over the 50-day trip.
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| Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Peebler at their home at Olive Lawn being interviewed for the the La Mirada history book, "Reflections from McNally's Mirror" -June 21, 2012. |
Mr. Gerald Peebler is survived by his wife of 73 years, Harriet; Sister Betty Mitchell, Mountain View, AK; Son Scott, La Mirada; Daughter Jan Delmonte, CT; Granddaughter Heather & her husband Andy Bevilacqua, Millford, CT; Granddaughter Kayse & her husband Jon Pratt, Elkgrove, CA; Grandson Seth, La Mirada; Great Grandchildren, Emily, Nathaniel, Jennifer, Jeff, Jillian, and Joseph.
GERALD PEEBLER MEMORIAL SERVICES:
Tuesday Nov. 4, 2014
Chapel of Memories, 12626 Woods Avenue, Norwalk.
1:00-2:00 p.m. Viewing
2:30-3:30 p.m. Memorial Service
4:00-6:00 p.m. Reception-La Mirada Activity Center
