Garth Gasse, a well-liked, long-tenured, and highly respected member of the loss prevention community, passed away earlier this week following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife Beverly, and daughters Maddie and Julia.
A diligent supporter and friend to many across the industry, Garth had a passion for personal and professional development and a zest for helping others across the loss prevention community. He was an early supporter of the Loss Prevention Foundation and contributor to both the LPQualified and LPCertified certification programs, and served as secretary for the Loss Prevention Benevolent Fund (LPBF), a charitable organization directly benefiting those who have served the loss prevention community.
“Garth was a very warm, caring, genuine supporter of the Memorial Fund since its early inception, and had been the LPBF secretary for the past several years,” says Chris Duke, chairman of the Loss Prevention Benevolent Fund. “He will be truly missed.”
A life-long Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, and Carolina Tar Heels fan, Gasse graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology in 1986. He started his loss prevention career in 1987 with People’s Drug Stores/CVS Pharmacy, and became an investigator with Victoria Secret in 1994. He then moved on to Toys R Us/Babies R Us, where he spent more than 14 years before being named director of retail operations – asset protection for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) in 2013. He later moved on to serve as conference chair for the Secure Stores Forum, and then on to his most recent role with SSP America. Yet while Garth’s professional experience paints a clear picture of his leadership abilities, it only marks a portion of his contributions to the loss prevention industry landscape.
“Garth was one of the most humble, loyal, and down-to-earth people that I’ve ever met,” reflects mentor and colleague Bob Serenson. “He understood what was most important in both his personal life and his career, and was deeply dedicated to his colleagues as well as his friends and family. In fact, as a friend or colleague, he always considered you to be part of his family. He was a good man and will be deeply missed.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer Research. Near the bottom of the form, click on “in memory of” and put in Garth’s name.
Please join us in offering our condolences to the Gasse family as well as his friends and family across the loss prevention community.