Haven was born in Pingree, Idaho to Hannah Lavon [Barlow] Gear. Hannah had left her husband, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, while pregnant with Haven.
Hannah, and her two other children, Donald Barlow - age 4 & Mary Alice - age 3, went to live with Hannah's Aunt and Uncle (Ianthus H. Barlow, Jr. and wife Margarette). Ianthus and Margarette had a farm in Pingree. They lived in their home during the 1930 census in Bountiful, Utah (a very short distance south).
Hannah worked as a waitress in a local cafe, in Salt Lake, and met a
man named Daniel Kelly. They fell in love, and together
they left to find work and get a home established - hopeing to send for
the children after getting settled. Dan and Hannah
found the perfect place in Zenith, Washington. They sent for Mary
Alice first, followed by the two boys (Donald
and Haven).
Haven grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and worked as an electrician, repairing commercial equipment. He was working in a small cafe in Zenith, near the post office where Hannah was Postmistress, and met Barbara Jane Lunn. She teased him immercifully saying, "Can't you play any other song on that machine?" - as he worked to fix the jukebox.
Haven & Barbara eloped to Fairbanks, Alaska to be married. They lived there for approximately a year, and their first child Barlow Lunn Gear was born in Fairbanks on 11 Aug 1948. The couple moved back to the Zenith/Des Moines area in Washington, where their second child, Michael Lunn Gear was born on 17 Mar 1950. During this time Haven would ride the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island to work. This left Barbara at home in an apartment for long days with the two young boys.
One evening, when he arrived home late, he found Barbara had miscarried late in her pregnancy their third child, a girl, who did not survive. Barbara was very weak and Haven nearly lost them both.
Between 1952 and 1955, the family moved to Southern California. Haven worked for Lockheed Aircraft and worked his own business called Thrift-Fix-It. After leaving Lockheed, he worked full time days in his own business, and evenings at a gas-station on Imperial Hwy in LA. Eventually, as Thrift-Fix-It grew, he renamed the company Utility Maintenance in Los Angeles. Their third child, Donna Lea Gear, was born January 22, 1955, the couples only daughter. She was followed by Walter Lunn Gear on 11 Sep 1956, and finally Marcus Dan Gear, their last child was born on 25 Sep 1958.
Haven specialized in restaurant equipment repair and maintenance. In the early 1960's he started to open Sizzler Steak House restaurants, prior to "Del" implementing commonplace franchise agreements used in today's business. Hannah Lavon [Barlow-Gear] Kelly, Haven's mother, worked as the bookkeeper, and together Hannah Lavon, Haven & Barbara Gear operated Sizzler Restaurants in the Los Angeles County area. These included: Bell, Bellflower, Downey. Eventually, in the early 1970's Haven sold his rights to the original Sizzler Restaurants he independently owned, and they returned to the franchise organization which ultimately filed for bankruptcy in the mid-1990's.
Haven moved his family back to the Pacific Northwest
in 1968-9 and used his nest-egg from the Sizzler sales to invest in a
Southland Corporation 7-11 Franchise, located just south of 260th and
Military Road in Kent, Washington. He and Barbara operated this store
for several years before opening Norna's Tavern. Norma's Tavern was located
on Empire Way just east of Boeing Field. Haven operated
this tavern for appoximately two years.
By 1971, Haven and Barbara decided to leave Seattle (no they weren't the last one's out after the Boeing big crash, and no they didn't turn the lights out) moving their family to Palm Springs, California. Haven re-opened his Utility Maintenance business in the desert and quickly established himself with many manufacturers as the inland-empire factory service representative. For example, Taylor Freeze was one such company that provided work and support for Haven's independent business.
Personal Notes and Stories
Haven
and Barbara had a tumultuous relationship. Haven
fought alchoholism all of his adult life. In the early 1960's Haven
had major intestinal surgey that left a scare on his belly that ran from
his navel to his solarplex. He called it his "New York Cut"
(a play on words while he was in the Sizzler Steak House business). But,
he also told his daughter, that is was a brand new stainless steel stomach
that could withstand anything he could possibly eat or drink.
His personal favorite, Jim Beam. But for all the damage to his body and spirit, his hard working and drinking did, Haven was a bright and sensitive man. He loved to read. In fact, he was carniverous about it - from Scientific American to Harvard Classics, Haven enjoyed learning all of his life.
Plato's Table Story to come from son, Michael.