Ashbacher, Garland M.

Garland M. Ashbacher, 76, of Cedar Rapids, died Sunday evening, Nov. 11, 2012, at the Woodlands, The Meth-Wick Community. Funeral Mass: 10 a.m. Monday at Saint Wenceslaus Catholic Church by Father Christopher Podhajsky. Burial: Saint John's Cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Papich-Kuba Funeral Home East, 1228 Second St. SE, where a vigil service begins at 6 p.m.

Garland is survived by his wife of 51 years, Barbara; children, Deborah (Jerry) Sandersfeld, Columbia, S.C., Dean Ashbacher, Grand Blanc, Mich. and Dawn Ashbacher, Maryland; granddaughter, Haley Sandersfeld, Columbia, S.C.; mother, Irma (Beneke) Ashbacher, Caledonia, Minn.; sister, Shirley (Richard) Meyer, Ridgeway; brother, Gary (Jean) Ashbacher, Eden Prairie, Minn.; and several nieces and nephews and their families.

He was preceded in death by his father, Milton W. Ashbacher.

Garland was born June 3, 1936, in Caledonia, Minn. He married Barbara A. Rohlena on Aug. 5, 1961, at Saint Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids.

Garland received a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1958 and a Master of Science Degree in 1969, both in Agriculture Education from Iowa State University.From 1958 to 1962, he was a vocational agriculture instructor at Coggon High School, Coggon. Garland was a vocational agriculture instructor at West Delaware High School, Manchester from 1962 to 1969. From 1969 until his retirement in 1995, Garland served at Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, as program chairman/instructor of the Agriculture Department; department head of Agricultural Technologies and later as an academic adviser. He was director of Student Services at the Iowa City Campus, Kirkwood Community College from 1989 to 1993.

In retirement, Garland was a part-time vocational agriculture instructor at Alburnett High School, a part-time installment loan officer at Kirkwood Community College and a professional scorer for National Computer Systems.

Garland was a member and president of the following organizations: Iowa Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association; Iowa Agriculture Education Curriculum Improvement Cadre, Agriculture Education in Community Colleges; College Community Board of Education; Cedar Rapids Agriculture Executives Club; West Delaware Education Association; Coggon Education Association; and the Waukon FFA.

Garland was an active member of Saint Wenceslaus Catholic Church where he was a lector and had pitched on the church's slow pitch softball team. He enjoyed watching sports, especially the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Cubs and playing poker.

Memorial contributions may be given to Hospice of Mercy.

Online condolences may be left for the family at under “obituaries.”

Published in The Gazette Nov. 14, 2012.