Gary Erb passed away on the morning of March 10, 2025, at the age of 75. On a stormy, January day in 1950, the world got a little crazier when Gary Erb was born in Tacoma, Washington to Al and Helen Erb. His family, which included his older brother, Alan, moved to Santa Clara, California when he was five years old. His sisters, Lyndal and Debbie, rounded out their family soon after. Gary made his mark in Santa Clara, mostly on the baseball fields. Starting in Little League, his early pitching dominance helped win a few championships. It was memorable enough to have him inducted into the Santa Clara Westside Little League Hall of Fame in 2005. He had pitched a game where he had struck out 18 batters. It was just one shy of a perfect game because of a single batter that he had hit. He remembered the batter…because of course he did. One of his best friends described him as a great teammate and a quiet leader. He was his high school team's MVP. As he got older, his curve ball got nastier. It caught the eye of some scouts. But it was that curve that contributed to hanging up his cleats with an arm injury after high school. In later years, he hated seeing young kids throw curve balls. His family owned a liquor store in Los Gatos. To say he had some stories during those days in an understatement. Most of those can't be shared here. Gary loved to tell stories and most of them were legendary. Some of the chart toppers include when he got flashed by Janis Joplin and when he caught a Willy Mays foul ball. Meeting Toad (Jeanette) was a game changer. It didn't take long for them to be inseparable. They loved going to concerts and Giants games, but mostly, just being together. He introduced her to the songs of Bob Dylan and she turned him on to a little band called The Grateful Dead. They were harmony. In later years, they loved watching movies together, talking for hours, spending weekends out at MacIntosh lake and patiently waiting for the Mariners to win. Best friends until the very end. What started as a friendship in the bay area turned into over 53 summers of love. Gary and Toad were married in April of 1972. Their daughter, Erin, was born in 1973 and their son, Andy, in 1975. After Gary's family sold the liquor store, he was looking for a change of pace from California. His cousin had told him about the Centralia-Chehalis area in Washington. He was hoping for a small town feel where people knew each other. Back in 1978, Centralia was exactly what he hoped for. Fun fact…1978 was the last time Gary had been inside a movie theater. It was to see Star Wars. We had always told him it was a story that should be in the paper….and here we are. Gary found a job at Glen River where manufactured homes were made. He started on the production line and was eventually the production manager. He was happy to help several young people get their first jobs there during summer breaks. He worked there for over twenty years before they unexpectedly shut down. Knowing the industry, he went from building them to selling them, which he did for several years. Gary really wanted to coach baseball. He got the opportunity to do so with a minor's team at Centralia Little League in the early 80's. With his long hair and an assistant coach that was an ex- motorcycle gang member, one can only imagine what that first parent's meeting was like. Nevertheless, the Fuller's dynasty was born. Ok, maybe not a dynasty, but they held their own. He loved coaching baseball, but it was taken to a whole new level when he got to coach his own kids. He was able to coach both Andy and Erin in earlier years…and then got to coach them both in majors (Go Bolts!) He was proud of those coaching years, and we know they were memories he treasured. Even after hard days, he would hit endless ground balls and pop flies to his kids in the yard. Hundreds of games of "back to zero" and wiffle ball championships. He liked to take a little bit of credit for both of his kids winning state championships in their respective senior years of high school. Cool dads make even cooler grandpas. He had three little "knuckleheads" that he adored and that feeling was more than mutual. With Lexi, Tyler and Kidd, he had a whole new audience for all his jokes and magic tricks. The magic ball in paper bags and pulling quarters from ears were fan favorites. He loved watching them grow up and see them doing things they loved. This last year, he got to watch Tyler playing college baseball on TV in San Francisco…the same bay area where he had started. Gary was hilarious and loved to make people laugh. He started early and often got his sisters in trouble at the table. He was a guy who liked to eat dinner late. He would watch a movie and fall asleep in the recliner, something that Andy's friends had got to witness at least once….his good friends, multiple times. He was a master on the BBQ. He used the "f" word a lot. He loved Seinfeld, mob movies, Weinerschnitzel chili cheese dogs, Rainier beer and you could always count on a thumb's up emoji in his text messages. Gary is preceded in death by his father, Al and his mother, Helen. He is survived by his wife, Jeanette (Toad) and his children, Erin Harries (Ray), Andy Erb and his grandchildren: Lexi Erb, Tyler Harries and Kidd Erb. He is also survived by his brother, Alan Erb (Regina), sisters Lyndal Haven (Bob), Debbie Erb and numerous nieces and nephews. Music was always a big part of his life, even writing songs and singing with the guitar back in the early days. To quote one of his favorites:" Some of its magic, some of its tragic, but I've had a good life all the way". In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Centralia Little League. You can also just toast a beer in his memory. He'd like that.