The dog started barking around 2:15 AM, alerting me to an emergency. I found Gary passed out and gasping for breath on the floor. He was unresponsive. The ambulance arrived within minutes. The medics were unable to revive him to consciousness, although there was a weak pulse. He passed away from a massive heart attack soon after arriving at the hospital. Before and after his death, I quietly recited “Onward and Upward” to him, as a reminder to go forward with eyes up, seeking the Light of God. I also asked Franny and Zoey, our recently deceased dogs, to come out to greet him and help him over the Rainbow Bridge. I prayed to Christ and to the All to receive him. Gary was raised in the Christian church and was Born Again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Now it is up to his soul to complete its journey home; I will continue to recite “Onward and Upward” for a full week as recommended by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, just in case he forgets his place in Christ and his soul is confused and wandering.
Gary and I were married for 38 years. We met in an advanced-placement math class on our first day of high school. He went on to do very well in math, majoring in math and statistics, and taking a Master’s degree in Math from the University of Idaho. Gary served for eight years in the U.S. Navy and then spent his civilian career as an operations manager in support of Navy personnel management. After retiring from civil service, Gary went to work as IT support for the College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California. Gary also co-owned and operated a bed and breakfast in Ashland, Oregon, the Albion Inn, from 2008 through 2014, commuting between Ashland and Weed for six years.
Gary was a wonderful pet parent and he doted on the family cats and dogs. Aside from the pets, Gary’s favorite hobbies involved games—board games, card games, computer games. He had endless patience inside game worlds, and he enjoyed exhausting every single challenge a video or VR game threw at him. He was also a world traveler and always up for an adventure.
Since moving to Jacksonville in 2016, Gary has been active in civic projects with the Jacksonville Boosters and the Belles and Beaus of Jacksonville.
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