Gary D. Edgecomb

Gary was born on February 26, 1942, in Cortland, New York. He died on May 6, 2023, in his beloved adopted home of Virginia. He lived a full life even as he coped with Parkinson's Disease during the last 10 years of his life. Gary was the son of the late Harold Charles Edgecomb and Anne Ella Carter. His son Nicholas Edgecomb predeceased him in 2004.

Gary is survived by his wife, Elizabeth "Betsy" Hollander and his children, Zoe Edgecomb (Dirk Walliser), Sheri Edgecomb (Nicholas Laiacona), Nikki Edgecomb and Tim Edgecomb. He was also the proud grandfather of Morgan Lang, Oliver Walliser Hale, Ezra and Jacob Laiacona and Aiden Edgecomb.

Gary and his wife owned Edgecomb's Imported Auto in Charlottesville, Virginia from 1979 until it closed in 2020. Gary was an avid flyer, and built an Experimental Aircraft in which he loved to give people "tours from the sky" of sights both locally and at air shows around the U.S. In the early 1970s, he and a group of buddies built a dune buggy with a VW chassis and raced it Gymkhana style, winning a basement-full of trophies (some of which Betsy won as well). The dune buggy later became a beloved part of family life, taking the Edgecombs to abandoned houses and other sites of adventure. Now and then, Gary would even submit to pleas from his children and 'do donuts' in an empty parking lot (with seat belts on, of course).

Always quick to help anyone in need, Gary had a strong sense of justice and immense talent at building and repairing things. He was an inspiration to many, especially his children. Whether helping to build a house, offering roadside auto-repair help, or advising on relationships, he was a person you could count on. Some examples of his unending help: taking in runaway teens in a program with Social Services, patching roofs in Homestead, Florida after Hurricane Andrew, and building sheds with the Building Goodness Foundation in Pearlington, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.

Gary served in the Marines from 1960 to 1964. While stationed on Hawaii, he watched friends and acquaintances leaving for Vietnam. He was a Beechcraft airplane mechanic, and servicemen with his specialty were not being sent at that time. He was able to return to the Mainland and start a family.

Gary lived life to the fullest, and wanted to be remembered with a joyful occasion. A celebration of his life will be held in June in Charlottesville, Va. For information about the celebration email [email protected]