Gary Wade Crain passed away peacefully on March 9, 2021. He was born in Portland, OR on July 23, 1942, the son of Cmdr. Leonard “Herald” and Bessie “Betty” Louise Crain. The Family eventually settled in La Mesa, CA, where Gary graduated from Helix High School in 1960 and attended community college. In 1966 Gary relocated to Phoenix, AZ for work. He eventually got hired by American Express and worked for them for 25 plus years in credit/collections. Gary was a bachelor for many years until he met and fell in love with Virginia Burke. They married in 1981 and would have celebrated their 40th anniversary in May. Gary was a Life Master bridge player and a voracious reader. He enjoyed duplicate bridge, golfing, backgammon, dining out and James Bond movies. One of his favorite things was spending time with Virginia and their Black Lab, Bailey, at their summer home in the White Mountains. Gary is preceded in death by his father Cmdr. Leonard "Herald" Crain. Gary is survived by his loving wife Virginia Crain, his mother Betty Crain and siblings Dixie Strople (Joe), Steve Crain, Jim Crain (Linda) and Judy Hill (Ken). He is also survived by his stepchildren Jim Burke (Sue), Joseph Burke and Maria Robert (fiance', Doug) and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 11:00am at Sunland Mortuary,15826 N. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City, AZ 85351. To send condolences to the Crain family please visit www.SunlandMemorial.com.
