Gary Steven Grubacich

Gary Steven Grubacich, a well-known local attorney and resident of Santa Barbara for over 35 years, died of natural causes in his home on Monday, January 12, 2015.

Gary was born on January 13, 1947 in Long Beach, California to parents Steven and Rose (Wucetich) Grubacich. He attended UCSB for three years before joining the U.S. Air Force from 1967 to 1970. Gary then worked as a System Engineer for General Motors in Michigan, where he completed his B.A. with honors at Oakland University in 1973. He returned to Santa Barbara, continuing his employment with General Motors/EDS for a total of 17 years. While serving on a local jury, he decided he wanted to be an attorney.

In 1988, Gary was admitted to the California Western School of Law in San Diego and graduated in 1991 with his J.D. degree, cum laude. Upon again returning to Santa Barbara, he was employed as an Attorney in Civil Litigation and Appeals with McCarthy & Kroes for 23 years until his death.

Gary gave broadly and deeply to others. In particular, he donated his time and treasure with great affection to his cherished Sigma Pi Fraternity. For many years until his death, he was Vice-Chairman of Legal Affairs for the International Sigma Pi Education Foundation and Advisor to the UCSB Alpha-Omicron Chapter of Sigma Pi.

Gary was involved in the lifetime events of his extended family. He was always up for card games, friendly debates, and trivia on music and movies. He could talk with anybody at length and depth on almost any subject.

He is survived by his sisters Vicki Morris (Ed) and Sandra Kula, two nieces and two nephews, five grand-nieces and three grand-nephews.

Gary was a beloved son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, great-uncle, fraternity brother, and good friend who will be dearly missed. A memorial service has not yet been planned.