Gary was born on July 5, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois to Marion (Sheldon) and Frank Przyborowski. He came from very humble beginnings where he learned the value of hard work and always appreciated what he had. Throughout his childhood he was an avid reader, loved learning, and was self-driven in his studies. He graduated Gordon Technical High School in 1967 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with Honors from DePaul University in Chicago IL. While at DePaul, he was the Chapter President of Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary accounting society, and was also the recipient of the Arthur Anderson Fellowship Grant. Following graduation, he became a Certified Public Accountant and began his career with Ernst & Young in public accounting. He subsequently continued to pursue higher education and earned an MBA, with a concentration in finance, from the prestigious University of Chicago business school. Gary then spent 4 years as Division Controller at Bendix Corporation, 4 years as Assistant Controller at Mattel Toys Inc., and eventually achieved Vice President of Finance and CFO positions at companies including Ioptex Research Inc., Bicore Monitoring System Inc., Quality Care Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Charles Polo & Company. Gary also proudly served in the Army Reserves from 1971 to 1977 and loved sharing stories about his time in boot camp and his natural talent in heavy artillery.
Gary married Cheryl (Plinck), on December 5th, 1970 in Chicago IL. They welcomed their first daughter Noelle, on December 10th 1972. Then welcomed daughter Melissa on May 10th 1976, son Erich on July 4th 1977, and son Kyle on September 25th 1980. His family was the most important part of his life and he was a loving and dedicated father.
Gary loved reading and belonged to many book clubs. He also loved art, drawing and painting, and in fact took art classes at the local community college well into his later years. As an accomplished accountant, Gary enjoyed working with numbers and was known for his frugal and money-saving nature. He also loved to do various projects around the house which often included yard work in his Army jacket, “fix-it” projects around the home, and spending time with family. He was happiest being with his children and supported them in everything they wanted to do; sports, education, various activities, and even eating “junk food”. Gary was a wonderful provider who always put his family first and he was a kind and gentle spirit that loved animals and nature. While he was fascinated by science and abstract thinking, he always remained the simple down-to-earth kid from Chicago who savored deep dish pizza and the Cubs.
Gary was always up for an adventure who loved time with his kids and grandkids and would never say “No”. He cherished each and every moment and just wanted “to be there”, no matter the time or place. Gary was authentic, genuine, and real, and made everyone feel at ease in his presence and he will be deeply missed and cherished by all who were lucky enough to know him.
Gary is survived by his wife of 50 years, Cheryl (Plinck); his children, daughter Noelle, daughter Melissa, son-in-law Adam (Roy), son Erich, son Kyle, and daughter-in-law Vanessa (Pham). He has 4 grandchildren: Parker, Madeline, Emerson and Ryan as well as 2 grandogs: Richie and Gracie.
A memorial service is scheduled for Monday April 19th at 1:30pm at Pacific View Memorial Park where he will also be laid to rest. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Parkinson’s Foundation would be greatly appreciated.
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