Gary Saylors, also lovingly referred to as Dad, DAAAAAAAAD!!, and grumpy old man, age 70, passed away just before Father’s Day in the home where he raised his children. He is preceded in death by his father Norman Saylors, his son Jehremy Saylors, and cherished hunting dogs Ebony, Luke, Gadwall, and Slice. He leaves behind his very pampered chocolate labrador Ruby and grand-dog Buckley, his daughters Megan and Courtney, his mother Jean, his siblings Lynn, John, and Kim, three grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and countless good friends.
He moved to Las Vegas with his parents in 1957 from Springfield, Missouri. In his younger years, Gary participated in scouts and played football. He graduated from Western High School in 1968, studied art at Texas Tech, and worked at the Las Vegas Review Journal for over 30 years. Gary was an avid outdoorsman, bird hunter, and craftsman. More than anything, he was Dad.
As his daughters grew, he was actively involved in their sports and clubs. He could always be found coaching on the sidelines and was their loudest cheerleader. He was the unofficial taxi driver and Tootsie Roll distributor for their running teams. He told dad jokes before it was cool and could always be counted on for great dad-isms like, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” and “Better to have and not need than to need and not have.” When things got tough he’d always offer you a 2x4 to help “solve” your problems.
Good to his word, his garage never saw a car and was completely devoted to his woodworking. He bragged that his truck never left Nevada, but somehow he still visited his daughters after they left home. While not much of a traveler, he still kept in touch and took to the habit of calling his girls far too early in the morning to make sure they’d had their coffee and donuts, and later learned how to use social media to video chat over morning coffee and share ridiculous dog gifs.
