John Lewis Gelber

John was born in what is now Death Valley National Park on June 10, 1939 to Alexander McKenzie and Berenice Turley McKenzie. He was given the name William Lawrence McKenzie. After his mother left, his father moved to the new desert city of Las Vegas. When William was about 4 years old, his father contracted tuberculosis (TB) and needed someone to raise his son. Samuel Lewis Gelber and Johanna (Hansen) Gelber adopted little William and changed his name to John Lewis Gelber. This couple had been long time residents of Las Vegas. But because Berenice’s family was unhappy with the adoption, they moved with John to San Carlos, CA and then to Oakland, CA where John started school. When John was about 7, the family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended public schools in downtown LA, and Westchester High School.

While in high school, John liked to spend time at the beach and playing sandlot football. He was active in Boy Scouts (going to the 1953 Boy Scout Jamboree), his Church Youth group (Luther League) and DeMolays. He started working as a teenager, first delivering newspapers to an area that has since been taken over by the 3rd runway of LAX and later selling newspapers on a corner which is now the entrance to LAX. He only got 2 cents per paper which meant earning about $2.00 a day, but since gas only cost 18 cents a gallon, it was okay. John only played football on his high school team one year, but earned a letter in the sport.

After high school and before entering the Navy, John went to Santa Monica City College for one semester. While going to SMCC he had a job of manually charting stock prices using “x’s” on graph paper.

John went into the Navy in June of 1957, a week before he turned 18. He enlisted on what was then called a “Kiddy Cruise”, which meant he would get out on his 21st birthday. Since he thought he wanted to be an engineer, he hoped to be an Electronics Technician (ET) in the Navy. But the Navy boot camp tests showed John was overqualified to be an ET, so he was sent to Guided Missileman (GS) school. (He later learned that sailors who qualified for GS school had test scores that can be used to validate IQ for admission to Mensa, which made him proud.)

While John was attending GS school, Russia launched the first manmade satellite (Sputnik). US Military leaders realized they needed more scientists, so they started NECEP “Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program”. This program offered a full ride scholarship, all expenses paid, to a variety of engineering schools. Out of 5,000 volunteers for the program, John was among the elite 200 selected for the first class. Given a choice of universities, John chose the University of Colorado in Boulder, because it was the furthest west. He did well the first year at CU and joined Sigma Chi fraternity. But with no mentoring, John was not mature enough to continue at CU.

Instead, John returned to active duty in the Navy, and worked as a Missile Technician (MT), spending a year on a Missile Cruiser, 2 years at Pearl Harbor Subbase and a year at Point Magu. While in Hawaii, John married Jean Ewalt (5/16/62). Upon discharge (June 1964) from the Navy, after 7 years of active duty, he left the Navy with the rank Missile Technician 1 (MT1). John returned to Boulder, Colorado to complete his degree in Electrical Engineering, graduating in June 1966.

Following graduation from CU, John moved to Seattle to work for Boeing. He worked on various military programs: SRAM, the Airborne Command Post, the B-1 bomber proposal and Minuteman missile. His first job on SRAM involved designing a black box for the program using a large drafting board drawing transistors, resistors, capacitors and inductors using a slide rule to determine the values needed. He spent 9 years working for Boeing during which time he earned an MBA at night school from Seattle University. After he received his MBA, he was offered a job at a start-up company (ELDEC) as a Contract Administrator, which he accepted. While at Boeing he divorced Jean (4/20/72) and married Jan Bennett (5/5/72). John spent 13 years working for ELDEC during which time he became a Division Controller, and then Production and Control Manager (P&CM). While being a P&CM he joined APICS (American Production Inventory Control Society) to learn more about the processes involved. While a member he earned their Certifications (CPIM & CPRM) and was the local (Seattle) chapter president. He also became an officer in the regional organization and attended 8 or 9 national Conventions. While at ELDEC, John divorced Jan (5/19/75). He married (4/7/77) and divorced (2/19/81) Ruth Dodson.

During one of the APICS Conventions, John met Terry Smith. Terry and John got married in Leoti, KS on May 15, 1982 and then Terry moved from Kansas City to Seattle, where she continued working for Arthur Andersen in the Consulting Division until 1983. Terry and John lived in Bellevue and Kirkland, Washington at the beginning of their marriage, then moved to the Klahanie neighborhood of Issaquah/Sammamish area outside Seattle in 1987.

While John was Director of Operations at ELDEC, the company was sold. John lost his job and returned to Boeing in 1984 where he was a software developer. He worked on many projects including DCAC-MRM and retired in 2005.

Terry and John have 3 children, Becky, Matt, and McKensie. John was active in the YMCA father-daughter and father-son programs with each child, being the Issaquah “Nation Chief” for many years. They enjoyed many trips to Camp Orkila and other adventures. He never missed a sports event or school program or recital of his children. John loved theater, especially musicals, and John and Terry ushered for many years at the Village Theatre in Issaquah and the ACT Theatre in Seattle.

After retirement, John’s hobbies included travel, genealogy, fantasy football, women’s basketball, board games, geocaching (over 3,000 finds) and cooking. He was an avid collector of “Magic The Gathering” cards, Beanie Babies, coins and stamps and more. Terry and John moved to Quail Creek retirement community, south of Tucson in 2021. While there, John was the second president of the Quail Creek Genealogy Club.

Spending time with family brought John the most joy.

John was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, MENSA, the Masons (Myrtle Lodge No. 108), and the Quail Creek Genealogy Club.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 42 years, Terry Lynn Smith, and his three children, Rebecca Anne Gelber (Jack Remington), Matthew Lewis Gelber (Laurel Black Gelber), and McKensie Lynn Gelber Kilgore (Shannon Kilgore), along with his cherished grandchildren: Avah Remington (14), Baker Gelber (4), Sonny Lewis Gelber (3 months), and Nelson John Kilgore (5 months). He is preceded in death by his birth parents, Berenice Turley O’Dell McKenzie and Alexander McKenzie, and his adoptive parents, Johanna Hansen Gelber and Samuel Lewis Gelber.

John’s cremated remains will be placed at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego, on July 11, 2025. There will be a gathering of family and friends in San Diego that weekend. Please contact the family for details by emailing at [email protected]

Donations may be made in John’s memory to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on pancan.org.

John will be remembered for his sharp mind, kind heart, and unyielding love for his family. His legacy will live on in the lives he touched and the memories he leaves behind.