Gary was born September 11, 1945, and he grew up in the farming community of Siam, Iowa. He graduated from New Market high school in 1963.
After high school, Gary joined the U.S. Air Force and spent much of his service at San Vito airbase near Brindisi, Italy, where his duties included intercepting Morse code transmissions from the Soviet Bloc as part of Communications Intelligence.
In 1967, he was honorably discharged, married Nancy K. Bix, and studied at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Management in 1970.
After graduation, they moved to the Kansas City area when Hallmark Cards hired him. Eventually, Pfizer hired Gary, and he worked the remainder of his career at the Animal Health division in Lee’s Summit, MO, until his retirement in 2007.
Throughout his life, Gary was active in his church and community and forged many valued friendships in the process.
He loved travel and seeing the world. Nancy and Gary visited many locations, stretching from Alaska to Israel and were always looking for a new place to visit.
Gary is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nancy; his three children, Michael, Kelly, and Darin; his son-in-law, Tom; his daughter-in-law, Kelly; and five grandchildren: Marissa, Colin, Maddy, Knox, and Ryder.
Those who were fortunate enough to know and love him are deeply pained by his sudden passing but grateful for the time they had with him and the part he played in their lives.
Visitation will be held at 10:00, Saturday, September 7, 2019, with funeral service to follow at 11:00 AM at Lee’s Summit Christian Church, 800 NE Tudor Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO 64086.