Gary Warren Stanhiser

GARY WARREN STANHISER was born on January 3, 1943 in Watervliet, Michigan,to Otto Stanhiser and Eleanor Danneffel Stanhiser. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, his children, Daniel Stanhiser, Joshua Stanhiser and Tiffany Priester, his sister, Barbara Fisher,and a handful of grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his older brother, Otto Jr.

When Gary was 5 years old, the family moved to the Adjutant General Records Depository (AGRD) in the Philippines where his father was stationed as a Captain in the US Army. Gary always fondly remembered living on the compound in Manila. When Captain Otto became seriously ill 2 years later, the family returned to the US and moved to Berrien Springs, Michigan, where Gary attended what is now Ruth Murdoch Elementaryand Andrews Academy. He spent his summers helping on the family farm. He went on to complete a Bachelor’s degree in speech and a Master of Divinity at Andrews University.He spent summers colporteuring with Dick Proctor, and during his Seminary training he was also the Boy’s Dean and Bible Teacher at Cedar Lake Academy.

His first pastoral call was to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he led a night ministry. Then he was called to the Southeastern California Conference to be the Youth Pastor in San Diego, working with the local churches and teaching Bible at San Diego Academy. During the summers, he involved academy students in a Beach Ministry. His next call was from Elder Bill Lehman, to be the Youth Pastor at the Campus Hill Church. While there, he ran Inner City Projects for the University Church and the Campus Hill Church, engaging students in multiple outreach projects, including: a summer tutoring program and free medical / dental / legal community aid clinics. He also started a large neighborhood garden, a Day Care Center and a Vegetarian Restaurant. All these programs had the support of the Campus Hill Church leadership with additional support from lay church members. He involved local and city community leaders. This outreach resulted in multiple baptisms and a new church was started – The Valley Fellowship SDA Church. During this time he also met Ruth Swan on a blind date, and they were married in the Campus Hill Church during the Sabbath morning service in 1972.

For the past 3 decades, he was a Business Consultant, but “once a pastor, always a pastor.” Gary always had a Missionary spirit. He planned frequent mission trips, coordinated international shipments of food, medical supplies, and other essentials, coordinated local distribution of food and supplies in Southern California, and he loved providing advice to those in difficult situations. He spent much of the past 10 years mentoring others in helping the less fortunate. His heart was always in helping others. He was involved in Mission Projects in Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Belize, the Philippines, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Peru, Haiti, and others. More recently, he served on the Board of Giving Children Hope and the Loma Linda Broadcasting Network. He was involved in humanitarian relief up to the last week his life.