Gary Paul Fazio

Captain Gary Fazio, 71, passed away on October 15, 2026, leaving behind a family he loved deeply, a remarkable career in aviation, and a lifetime of memories that could only have belonged to Gary.

Born and raised in New York City, Gary graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1977 and served as a B-52 pilot before joining American Airlines in 1985. He spent nearly 35 years flying commercial aircraft before retiring in 2020, though his love of flying soon brought him back to the cockpit of private jets. Flying was his greatest passion, one he shared with his son Garrett, who followed in his footsteps as a pilot and is now flying for American Airlines. In nearly 35 years at American, Gary rarely missed a day of work. It was quintessentially Gary: if he said he was going to be somewhere, you could count on him being there.

After seeing Garrett graduate from Oklahoma State University's exceptional aviation program and launch his own flying career, Gary and Ginger were inspired to give back. Together, they established the Flying Cowboys Scholarship Fund, creating a lasting legacy that, through the generosity of others, will continue to grow and allow future generations to share in Gary's lifelong passion for flying.

When Gary married his sweetheart, Ginger, in 1994, he became a father to Justin and Candice, who were just nine and six years old. He loved and cared for them as his own, just as he would Garrett, the son he and Ginger later welcomed together. To Gary, there were no distinctions. He had three children, and that was that. He gave each of them the same love, support, and unwavering commitment throughout his life. It was simply who he was.

Gary's Christian faith was the foundation of his life. A devoted student of Scripture, he knew the Bible extraordinarily well and sought to live according to its teachings. His convictions were deeply held, and his trust in God's promise of eternal life was unwavering. He believed in doing what was right simply because it was right.

Gary was honest, stubborn, endlessly thorough, and wonderfully particular. He could spend a year searching for a new truck that met his very specific criteria, only to purchase it and continue driving his well-worn 1998 Toyota Tacoma. He meticulously maintained a list of birthdays, referring to it often to ensure no one ever went without a birthday call. He faithfully reminded everyone about daylight saving time, long after their phones had figured it out. And he could fall asleep anywhere, sometimes stopping by to visit family only to promptly nap on the couch.

There was only one version of Gary. As his family often said, “Gary is just Gary.” And they loved him for it. There was something beautiful about the way he was so unapologetically himself, and it’s those very things that his family will miss the most.

Gary was a man of remarkable sincerity and dependability. Taking care of the people he loved was simply part of who he was.

Gary is survived by his wife, Ginger; his children, Justin and his wife, Caitlin, Candice and her husband, Aaron, and Garrett and his wife, Heather; his six grandchildren, Norah, DJ, James, Elsie, Court, and Evelyn; and his sister, Doreen, her husband, Keith, and their son, David.

His family will miss the phone calls, the reminders, the naps, and the familiar comfort of having him around. But most of all, they will miss Gary. Because Gary was just Gary. And there was nobody quite like him.

A Come-and-Go Visitation will be held from 2-4:00 pm. on Sunday, November 1, at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home.

The Celebration of Life will be held from 9-10:30 am. on Monday, November 2, also at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home, 5725 Colleyville Blvd, Colleyville, TX 76034.

A Shelter Committal Service will be held at 11:30 am with arrival time of 11:00 am following the Celebration of Life service at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75211.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Gary’s name to Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, In Touch Ministries, Flying Cowboys Scholarship Program at Oklahoma State University, and North Texas Association of Air Force Academy Graduates. All links can be found below.