The Rev. Dr. John David Grabner, 82, died Saturday, June 17, 2023, in Moscow. John was born on Oct. 7, 1940, in Coeur d’Alene, to Floren “Lefty” and Beth Grabner. He was raised in Renton, Wash., with sister Maribeth and brothers Don, Bert, Alec and Frank.
From young adulthood he had a keen interest in church liturgy, and learning was a lifelong passion and pursuit. He completed bachelors and master’s degrees at the University of Washington, a master’s degree at Princeton Seminary, and a masters and doctorate at the University of Notre Dame. He thoroughly enjoyed his Ph.D. years within the Notre Dame and South Bend communities, where lifelong friendships were built and maintained and family life was nurtured. In 1975, he married Sharon Lightle and they had two daughters, Rachel and Hilary; they later divorced.
John was ordained in the United Methodist Church and served churches in South Bend, Ind.; and Pasco and White Salmon, Wash. In 1991, he was called to serve Moscow First United Methodist Church in Moscow. Having spent a significant amount of his childhood in Moscow, where his grandparents lived, he was excited at this prospect and the family moved. He was later ordained in the Episcopal Church and served as a supply priest to many churches on and around the Palouse. He continued this until shortly before his death. In addition to supply work, John drove the night express and Dial-a-Ride for Pullman Transit, where he enjoyed serving the students of Washington State University and the general public. He moved to Pullman in 2005 and got a real kick out of driving his car with Washington Husky license plates around “Cougar country.”
John took a lively interest in all things intellectual, humorous and leisurely, and could erupt in raucous guffaws with little prompting. Travel was always a part of his life, primarily in the form of road trips to visit family and friends. Often, these involved detours into little towns “to just take a look at some of the churches” or “to look up my old friend so-and-so”. In later years, he enjoyed international travel with old and new friends to places like Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean. John also appreciated the world of music and live theater. He was a long-time regular attendee of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and could usually be seen at various local theater or musical productions. He was an ardent supporter of the American Guild of Organists. He loved, in no particular order, cardinals, nutcrackers, books, straw hats and trains, and he always had a recommendation for the next British murder mystery to watch on any streaming platform. John was a proud and lovable curmudgeon who, according to friends, set the curmudgeon bar so high as to be nearly unattainable for others.
John is survived by daughters Rachel Grabner (Joe) of Saint Petersburg, Fla., and Hilary Grabner (Jason) of Kirkland, Wash., brother Frank, sister-in-law Shirley Custer, and nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial for John will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at St. James’ Episcopal Church, 1410 NE Stadium Way, Pullman. Corbeill Funeral Home of Pullman is in charge of arrangements. Per his wishes, donations may be made in John’s honor to the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane via their website. Online condolences may be sent to corbeillfuneralhomes.com.
