Gary Reber

to Jerry and Jean (Hatfield) Reber and died at home in Lincoln on Jan. 3, 2024.

His mother died when Gary was 2 and the family moved to Ashland, NE, to live with

grandparents Gerald and Elva Reber, who helped raise Gary and his siblings. Gary graduated

from Ashland-Greenwood Public Schools in 1981. He earned a journalism and public relations

degree from Kearney State College in 1986. He met Pam Beck at Kearney, and they married in

June 1987. Daughter Ellen Lou was born in 1990 and Will Beck was born in 1994.

Gary’s first job was as editor of the Wisner News Chronicle. He was later a reporter for

the Beatrice Daily Sun, managing editor at the Dodge City (KS) Globe and executive editor of

the North Platte Telegraph. In 1998 the Rebers moved to Lincoln where Gary worked in

communications for Aliant, Altel, the University of Nebraska Foundation, and the Nebraska

Wesleyan University Archway Foundation. Each of those jobs led him to his favorite job: major

and annual gift officer for The Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools. He loved building

relationships with donors and raising money for students and teachers.

A wonderful husband and father, Gary wore many familial hats. A planner, he deeply

researched for family trips, creating folders about places to stop and attractions to visit. He loved

cooking for the family and sharing details of his kitchen endeavors. He was very generous with

his time for family. A most recent and favored role was one of a lifetime: that of Papa to

grandchildren Olive and Frankie.

Gary was fiercely proud of his children. He loved that daughter Ellen, with husband Matt,

created a wonderful family, parenting their girls with love and patience. He enjoyed meeting

fellow LPS employees who knew and would complement Ellen’s work as a teacher. His heart

filled with pride, he eagerly shared such news with Pam.

He was equally proud of Will, who left home to make his way in New York City. Gary’s

adventurous spirit loved living vicariously through Will’s stories of the Big Apple and San

Francisco, and, with Pam, he enjoyed visiting those cities.

Gary was also proud of his good friend Trenton, whom Gary met through the TeamMates

mentoring program. Gary enjoyed watching Trenton navigate his way into adulthood. Gary was

inducted into the TeamMates Hall of Fame in 2018.

Gary was active in St. Paul’s United Methodist Church for years, and often played drums

for Sunday services. He was past president of the University of Nebraska at Kearney Alumni

Association Board of Directors.

To say he had a sense of humor would sell Gary short. His humor ranged from Dad jokes

to the very dry, and his was a contagious and easy to identify laugh. Cracking Gary up was the

best reward for time spent with him.

He was always up for social time: travel, movies, eating out. Mention a restaurant, and

Gary had eaten there. In the last 10 years, he began serious cooking for family and friends. He

loved the challenge and process of gathering the perfect pan or spatula to make a new dish. Most

recently, he was especially excited with a new potato ricer. “It was a real game changer,” he said.

Gary loved the process. The process of writing, the process of fundraising, the process of

any kind of home project, the process of a new recipe. But he was the best at developing

relationships, which is why so very many people will miss Gary Martin Reber.

Gary leaves behind his wife Pam; his daughter Ellen and husband Matt and children

Olive Lou and Frances Ruth, Lincoln; son Will and partner Olivia, San Francisco; brother Mark

and partner Jody, Lincoln; father-in-law Frank Beck and brother-in-law Todd and wife Barb,

Mills, NE; and friend and Teammate Trenton, of Lincoln. He was preceded in death by

grandparents Gerald and Elva Reber; his mother Jean and father Jerry; sister Pam; and

mother-in-law Linda Beck. The family has requested memorial gifts be directed to the

Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools to be designated at a later date.