Alice Faye Gelbar

May 28, 1939 – July 24, 2025

Alice Faye Gelbar of Sequim, Washington, passed away peacefully on July 24, 2025, at Sherwood Assisted Living Facility. She was 86.

She will be laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery in Richford, Vermont. A memorial service may be held at a later date.

Alice was born May 28, 1939, in Richford, Vermont, to Raymond I. and Ruby (Wetherby) Gelbar. She graduated from Richford High School in 1957 and spent the next two years at The Peter Brigham Hospital learning to be an x-ray technician. She received her certification in 1959 and worked as an administrative secretary at Browne & Nichols School for about five years before heading out west with three friends from Boston. They traveled 5,124 miles across the country through several states, arriving in California after a month of cross-country adventures.

Alice lived in Los Angeles from 1964 to 1978, working for doctors, and in retail before moving to Las Vegas in 1978. In 1980, Alice and two partners made the decision to buy a company called the Home Office, which specialized in providing businesses with administrative support. At one point, the firm had around 365 clients from around the world, including Israel, Thailand, Germany, England, and Canada.

Alice made her mark as a woman running a successful business, a role that was perfect for someone with her motivation and engaging personality. She made many friends over the years and has been a shining example of success.

Alice shut down the business in 2016 and moved to Sequim, Washington, to enjoy her last years in quiet retirement with her beloved cats and her crafts. She enjoyed knitting and, beginning in 1980, put together over 40 plastic canvas Christmas houses that she proudly displayed at work during the holidays. She inherited her love of cats from her parents and always had at least two throughout her life with Tex and Boo as her retirement partners.

Alice donated her mother’s many journals and notebooks to the Vermont Historical Society to provide researchers with valuable information on life in Richford, Vermont from the early 1920s through 1981. Her contribution will live on and become part of the rich history of the Green Mountain State that she left so many years ago.

Memorial contributions may be made to the non-profit Peninsula Friends of Animals, PO Box 404, Sequim, WA 98382, website https://safehavenpfoa.org/.

Sequim Valley Chapel is honored to serve the family. Please visit sequimvalleychapel.com to leave treasured memories for the family-(360) 683-5242.