Obituary of Jeffrey F Geibel

Jeffrey Frederick Geibel passed away peacefully, in his home on Harstine Island Thursday, April 28, 2016 from complications with prostate cancer. Sally Geibel, his loving wife of 35 years, was by his side. Born in Seattle, Washington to Fred and Lucile Geibel on July 23, 1941, Jeff is survived by his wife, Sally, adult children Debra Dubief and Kurt Geibel, grandchildren: André and Simon Dubief, and Hailey Geibel, brother, Fritz Geibel, sister, Gudrun Ongman, and many nieces and nephews. Jeff graduated from Garfield High School, Seattle, in 1959 and went on to attend the University of Washington, from which he graduated, cum laude, in 1963 with a degree in Advertising. Jeff remained an enthusiastic Husky football supporter and enjoyed going to every home game with Sally. His advertising career began in New York City with J. Walter Thompson, (1963-65), then the largest advertising agency in the world. He later returned to Seattle and continued his career with Kraft, Smith & Ehrig (then Lowe), as Account Executive for clients including Olympic Stain and Oh Boy Oberto! In 1976 he opened his own agency, Geibel Advertising, where he directed advertising for clients that included brokerage firm, Murphey Favre and Lake Chelan resort, Wapato Point. In 1985, after purchasing a small vacation cabin in Shelton and falling in love with the area, Jeff and Sally endeavored to permanently move to this tranquil spot. Jeff transitioned from Seattle Ad Exec to Shelton Realtor and became a veteran realtor with Windermere/Himlie in Shelton. He was named Realtor of the Year in 1987, and again in 1995, both times for his continuing work in developing a Multiple Listing Service for the Mason County Board of Realtors. A longtime member of the Shelton Chamber of Commerce, Jeff served on the board and later (1999) as President. He was also one of the initial developers of the Hanging Flower Baskets Program that brightens the Shelton area every year. Jeff loved to travel and SCUBA dive with his wife, Sally, and together they enjoyed many, many wonderful trips. During the summer months he embraced “island life” and could be found most sunny afternoons relaxing on a giant inner tube in the calm waters that fronted their home. In retirement, Jeff was a passionate supporter of the Harstine Island Community Club, helping out at the community hall and spearheading, with others, the fundraising effort for its new building. He also kept himself busy, and creative juices fed, by building carefully balanced mobiles in his home workshop. He primarily attended St. Hugh Episcopal Church, Allyn. He was part of the first total common ministry team that led all pastoral and spiritual areas and was a licensed preacher there and in the Episcopal Church. He was also a volunteer chaplain for the Catholic Church at Washington State Correction Center, l988-l992. A Memorial and celebration of Jeff’s life will be held on May 14 at 3:00PM, at St. Hugh of Lincoln: 280 E Wheelwright St, Allyn, WA 98524. Remembrances may be made to Harstine Island Community Club (HICC) 2ND 100-Year Building Fund, PO Box 1635, Shelton, WA 98584 or St. Hugh. Please visit www.mccombwagner.com to view and share memories.