Medical Lake remembers Carl Grub

MEDICAL LAKE – There were cowboy hats, ball caps, Levis and boots.

Plenty of gray hair, but a sprinkling of young people in Future Farmers of America jackets, too.

Some used walkers or canes and cowboy music with sad fiddles played as several hundred people came to Medical Lake High School gymnasium Saturday, Sept. 23.

They were all friends or just acquaintances of Carl Grub the area rancher who died at age 86 on Aug. 18 as result of the Gray Road Fire that ravaged Medical Lake and the surrounding community.

For a little over an hour, Grub, who was a lifelong Medical Lake resident, was remembered by his many friends who told stories and painted a picture of the life of the man born on April 1, 1937.

According to Grub's obituary, "He was known to many for his generosity and selfless support for youth in agriculture. Beyond his life as a cowboy, cattleman, and community volunteer, he served his nation with a distinguished career as a citizen soldier and selfless patriot in the Washington Air National Guard."

Event emcee, Spokane County Cattlemen president Jim Wentland, recounted trips he and Grub had made over the years.

While Grub slept a great deal when the pair traveled across North Dakota, they woke up to six inches on snow at the 1998 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas - the first in 50 years in the Nevada city.

Grub, who helped found the Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch in 2008, made a sincere impression on Rick Perleberg, chairman of the board of directors and president of the ranch charity. The Jensen Ranch is named after family friends who died in Vietnam.

When questioned about whether he had pre-prepared remarks for the service, Perleberg simply said "It was easy to say good things," about a man like Grub.

Grub spent many decades supporting youth agriculture through organizations including the Junior Livestock Show, FFA, 4H and many others, according to his obituary.

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Besides ranching, Grub had careers in the Air National Guard and later real estate.

Three things defined Grub, Wentland said.

Foremost he was a patriot, "Soft spoken, but when he spoke people listened."

But he also loved American agriculture and wanted everyone to know just where their food came from. Having never had children, Grub also devoted huge parts of his life and fortune to youth. "They brought joy to his eyes," Wentland said.

Maurice Piersol, Grub's cousin by marriage, remembered that "Knowing how to work," was a skill Grub insisted was important.

Grub was "quiet and straight forward," said Jim Johnson who also told about Grub sleeping a lot lately because he never did so in his first 30 years.

Gerri Johnson called Grub, "Our own John Wayne," while another speaker marveled at Grub being someone with both a pastor and bartender in his life. And yet another said by eating hamburgers, Grub was getting even with cattle that would escape his fences.

Grub's generosity went beyond his support of multiple community endeavors in Medical Lake according to Denise Bennett who spoke about him helping her family get into their home and ranch.

As the service concluded, Perleberg asked attendees three questions. Had they raised an animal at the Jensen Ranch, received financial support or shared a meal with Grub to please stand? A good one-third responded.

Grub is survived by four brothers, his cousins, nieces and nephews. His ashes will be scattered at a later date in some places that were special to Grub.

Donations to the Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch in lieu of flowers are preferred. Donations can be made by PayPal via the Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch on Facebook, or the Carl Grub GoFundMe.