Garry Mac Bledsoe

Garry Mac Bledsoe, 78, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and loyal friend succumbed to pancreatic cancer on April 14, 2019. He died peacefully in his sleep with his wife at his side. He was born December 20, 1940, in Springfield, Missouri, the son of Gladys Ilene McNabb and Elmo Vern Bledsoe. His parents pre-deceased him. Garry was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating from Wilkinsburg High School in 1960. While in high school he excelled in football and wrestling, and participated in Young Life Ministries as a leader and organizer. It was through Young Life that he enrolled at the University of Evansville (IN), graduating in 1967. While at U of E he met (on a blind date) and fell in love with Patty. They were married in 1968, a strong union of nearly 51 years. Garry was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, serving as chapter president (Iota Mu Zeta) while an undergraduate and later employed for a year as a Chapter Consultant for the national fraternity. Garry's early career included earning a Masters Degree in Student Personnel Administration from Indiana University and employment at Franklin College (IN), Georgia Institute of Technology and Dekalb Community College (GA). He completed all course requirements and passed comprehensive exams for a PhD in Educational Psychology at Georgia State University. As his family grew he made a career change resulting in the family's relocation in 1979 to Indianapolis, IN. For the next chapter of his professional life he worked in sales for manufacturers of equipment used in the commercial food industry. Garry's community service activities, rooted in his devotion to supporting underserved youth, included membership in Kiwanis of Northwest Indianapolis where he was an active participant in the Clothe a Child Program and a reading tutor at Pike Elementary School. Garry also devoted countless hours to the charitable work of the Central Indiana Wood Workers' Toymaking Project. For over twenty years he was an enthusiastic participant with his sons in high adventure activities with the Boy Scouts of America, North Star District, and an instructor in the Voyageur Canoe Program. Survivors include Garry's wife Patricia Dissette Bledsoe; sons Andrew Joseph Bledsoe (Karla) of Indianapolis, IN and Michael Lawrence Dissette Bledsoe (Melissa Schulte) of Oakland, CA; grandsons Aiden Afonso Bledsoe and Connor Afonso Bledsoe; sister Sharon Bledsoe Kearney (Robert); and many nieces and nephews.