Norbert L. Gabry

Norbert L."Clem" Gabry, beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather, passed away in his Kalamazoo home surrounded by family on Monday, October 12, 2015.Born and raised on Chicago's South Side by his parents, Leo and Helen, and proud of his Polish Heritage, Clem met Jermaine Rose Shiparski and the two became inseparable. Leaving Chicago's steel mills behind in early 1950, he moved to rural Texas Township so he and Jerry could care for elderly relatives.The couple raised three children Gary, Gail and Greg and they were active members of St. John Bosco Parish in Mattawan. Clem began a career in the building industry working for Grand Rapids Sash and Door and then Johnson Howard Lumber Company in downtown Kalamazoo, where he spent 25 years supplying building materials to hundreds of builders throughout Southwest Michigan. Friendships were abundant and there wasn't a day when Clem didn't run into someone he knew around town. He retired in 1988 to be at home with Jermaine, travel in their motor home, tinker in his wood shop and enjoy their seven grandchildren, and in 2014, his first greatgrandchild. Clem is survived by his wife, Jermaine, three children; Gary and Gail Gabry, Gail and John Kolstoe and Greg and Dena Gabry, seven grandchildren; Amanda and Mike Waldron, Andrew, Alex, Aidan, Jake and Nick, one great granddaughter, Alaina Rose, along with two sisters; Diana Gibson and Cynthia Syler. Clem is preceded in death by his grandson, Matthew and his brother, Bernard Gabry. Friends and family are invited to visit on Friday, October 16, from 5-8 p.m. at the Adams Funeral Home, 502 W. Michigan Ave., Paw Paw. Mass of Christian burial will be held Saturday, beginning at 10:15 a.m. at the Adams Funeral Home, Paw Paw, proceeding to St. John Bosco Catholic Church, 23830 Front Ave., Mattawan for mass of Christian burial at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan or to the SPCA of Southwest Michigan.

Visitation Friday, October 16, 5-8 PM, at the Adams Funeral Home.