Gary A. Korba

The family of Gary A. Korba announces his passing on July 11, from complications resulting from 65 years of living with Type I diabetes and 7½ years on kidney dialysis.
Gary will be deeply missed by his loving wife of nearly 52 years, Nancy (Slaughter); his children Kate (Ben) Reinhardt, Beth (Cory) Cauwels, and Noah (Amy) Korba; his grandchildren Gabe, Wes, Audrey, Helen, Will, and Francie; his siblings Ken (Marco), Tom, and Carol Korba; sister-in-law Patty Korba; extended family, friends, and many colleagues from his years at 3M. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bud and Joyce; his older, infant sister Lynda, whom he did not meet in his earthly life; his younger brother Paul; his sister-in-law Barb; and his first son-in-law, Peter Haugen.
Gary was the eldest of five living siblings, growing up in a lively household of four boys and one girl in Maplewood. He learned to work hard and how to fix pretty much anything from his dad, from whom he also learned how to talk to pretty much anyone. He loved his mom's baking and was known to steal dough anytime she was in the kitchen. At age 7, Gary received the life-changing diagnosis of type 1 (then called juvenile) diabetes, which deeply shaped decisions he would make throughout the rest of his life.
Gary was a 1970 graduate of North High School in North St. Paul. He played in several bands throughout high school, which is how he met the love of his life, Nancy. He also sang in the choir and served on the student council.
Family was the most important thing to Gary, and he was happiest when he and Nancy were surrounded by their kids and their spouses and his beloved grandkids (and grand-dogs!). He loved fishing, mostly for panfish, with his kids and grandkids, and traveling with Nancy (especially to California wine country and to England) and his family – Disneyworld and Disneyland were favorite destinations in various combinations of family, including one epic trip in 2014 with all then-13 of us (plus one in utero!). He was unfailingly supportive of his kids' and grandkids' endeavors and attended hundreds (if not thousands) of their choir and band concerts, opera and theatre productions, and sports events over the years. He coached his kids' softball and basketball teams and also coached softball at Lakewood College with his best friend Gary Salkowicz.
Gary held an associate degree from Lakewood (now Century) College in Maplewood; a bachelor of science in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls; and a master's degree in analytical chemistry from Iowa State University in Ames, all of which were also attended by subsequent generations.
His other big love was the research and innovating he did at 3M. His interest in chemistry was ignited by Dr. Wayne Haag at Lakewood and completely changed the direction of his career, which he originally thought would be in history or journalism. After completing his degrees at UWRF and Iowa State, Gary spent his entire career at 3M, where he contributed to some of its biggest franchise brands and retired in 2013 after 35½ years of service. When he retired, he held the position of Corporate Scientist, which was the highest level possible to achieve as a scientist at the company. He was a world-recognized expert in surface science, and was not only a leader in his field but an educator, mentor, and problem solver. He was a founding member of 3M's Visiting Wizards program, and greatly enjoyed demonstrating the fun things you could do with liquid nitrogen to several generations of schoolchildren around the Twin Cities.
He is named on numerous patents, and over time also served in various roles with the American Vacuum Society at both the national and state chapter level; as a reviewer for several journals; served on surface science committees; and excelled at recruiting across the country and in talent development for 3M. He authored or co-authored dozens of papers and articles, and gave presentations of all kinds at conferences, symposia, seminars, colleges, and businesses around the world.
Gary was baptized, made his sacraments, and married Nancy at Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Oakdale. He and his family were longtime members of Transfiguration Catholic Church, also in Oakdale, where Gary and Nancy sang in choirs, led faith formation classes, served on many committees, and renewed their wedding vows on their 25th anniversary.
After Gary's retirement, he and Nancy had almost five years to enjoy life and travel before the need for kidney dialysis completely changed the fabric of their daily lives. Several years ago they bought a small cabin a little north of the Twin Cities and enjoyed spending time there when they could, making memories of family gatherings, fishing off the dock and the pontoon, and watching the birds. They continued to be as involved as Gary's health permitted in their kids' and grandkids' lives and activities, and loved each other through thick and thin to the very end. When the last complications came and Gary spent 12 difficult days at Woodwinds Hospital, he was blessed with one good day just before he passed, which he spent with all of his children and grandchildren, telling stories and sharing his love and wishes for us all and enjoying foods he hadn't been able to eat for many years. He died the next morning, surrounded by the deep love and presence of God and his family.
We will celebrate Gary's life on Friday, July 18, at Oakwood Funeral home, 2585 Stillwater Rd. E., in Maplewood. We will visit with friends and family at 10:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to dress comfortably (no suits or ties, please) in shades of Gary's favorite color, blue.
In lieu of flowers or other gifts, Gary's family requests memorials be directed to Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes at https://www.breakthrought1d.org/ways-to-give/.