Born Apr. 15, 1953, in Grand Junction, CO, to Kenneth B. and Emily O. (Hermann) Harper, Gary grew up in Craig, CO. He graduated from Moffat County High School in 1972, where he met Sheila Harper. They married June 26, 1976, at their home church of First Baptist Church, and lived in Craig, raising three children. When he was 25, Gary went to work for Colorado Ute Electric Association (now Tri-State Generation & Transmission) and stayed until he retired in 2015. Most of his career was spent in the scrubbers, where he held a variety of supervisory positions and headed up several major refits and upgrades. After retiring, Gary and Sheila moved to Fruita so they could be closer to their children and further from the snow and cold.
He was preceded in death by his father Kenneth Harper, brother Allen Harper, and son Brendan Harper. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Sheila; mother Emily Harper and sister Mary Lindsay, both of Salt Lake City; son Aric Harper of Grand Junction; and daughter Adrienne Burch of Farmington NM; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
The visitation will be April 5, 2019, from 5 pm to 7 pm at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary of Grand Junction. The memorial service will be April 6, 2019, at 10 am at Living Water Baptist Church in Fruita. The burial will be at the Craig Cemetery, with a graveside service on April 6, 2019, at 3 pm in Craig. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Compassion International at https://www.compassion.com/ways-to-donate.htm.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18