Mr.Gast was a wonderful person. 
The fact that he did things for his colleagues 
Like Mr.Fishman when he was ill.
Mr. Gast attended my mom and dad's funeral. 
God be with you Rich Gast RIP

Dr. Gast inspired my love of mathematics in his Calculus course. I went on to win the General Omar Bradley Award for Mathematics in 1981 at West Point.

My condolences to his entire family. Mr. Gast was my favorite teacher at Edgemont and instilled in me, my love of math !  May he rest in peace, Linda K Koshland cars

Dr. Gast was such a wonderful teacher, man, and human being. Only fond memories of trying to figure out math every morning first thing with Audrey Hochhauser (now Schewe). I don’t believe I should have been in high-level math, but I certainly appreciated Dr. Gast’s high-level caliber and character.  May his rest be filled with the joy he created and enjoyed while here. With gratitude, Christine Li, Class of ‘85

Dear Gast Family - I was so sorry to hear about Mr Gast's passing - you never forget one if your favorite teachers, ever.  
   Mr Gast watched a lot of us Edgemonters grow up - he gave us guidance and structure in those early 70's. I didn't excel in math - the concepts were kind of tough for me at 13 yrs old. 
   I was babysitting in your neighborhood fairly often behind IHM church, (my folks were married there)and either ran into Mr. Gast outside your home, or he gave me the address - I think I ran into him - I was sitting for little Monica Brent.  That is how I met you, Patricia - you were a little younger than I and the sweetest thing ever. I stopped by now and then to say hi to you. It was kind of neat seeing my teacher as a dad.
   I couldn't leave Edgemont without taking Mr - now Dr - Gast's Consumer Math - learned to do income tax prep which gave me confidence to tackle my own later in life. He sure put up with a rowdy bunch of Seniors, but we all really cared for him. I loved hearing about Dr Gast's Mathletes competitions and still repeat their cheer- Sine Cosine Cosine Sine 3.14159 ! (and try to remember to wish my grandkids Happy PI Day and May the 4th Be with You)...
   Love to you all Teresa, Patricia, Richard+Susan+Matthew.... I know how very blessed you have been to have Mr Gast in your life and he to have you all in his.  It will be a wonderful reunion one day!
    Fondly,
    Fay Fallon (now Baker), twin Cathy Fallon Olmsted, sister Margaret Fallon, brothers Frank, Joe, (Tom),+ Jimmy Fallon....
Fay Fallon Baker
PO Box 433
Saratoga, WY 82331

I was Dr. Gast’s favorite student for three years. (At least that’s what he told me. I may not have had a strong grasp of sarcasm at the time.) But as captain of the math team during those years, I looked to him as a mentor as much as a coach. I was one year ahead, and he continued to motivate me to study even more mathematical subjects beyond the school’s curriculum. He made me proud to embrace my math geekiness. And he always so approachable. He would sometimes sing in my church’s choir, and I would always make my parents wait to leave after the service until I could say hi to him.

As the father of a teenage girl now who is TWO years ahead in math, I frequently tell her how Dr. Gast influenced me over the years. My favorite story is of the last exam I took under him. After three years of straight A’s, the final unit on probability threw me for a loop and I scored an 87. But rather than just hand me the exam, he held it up and announced it to the entire class, to audible gasps, showing the streak had been broken. I still laughed. Somehow he knew this made me look better to my cohorts and I always appreciated that.

I have been carrying on his spirit for the last ten years by volunteering at math competitions in my area. I think of him whenever I see someone make an “SSM” (silly stupid mistake — minus two points, no adjustment for inflation.)

Hands down he was the most inspirational of all my teachers and I will miss him dearly. My condolences go out to his entire family.

- Keith M Swartz, Edgemont High Class of 87

I was probably the worst student he ever had but I have always thought fondly of his being so soft spoken and patient with me hopelessly trying to teach me the Pythagorean Theorem.
Jed Orloff Edgemont class of 1969

Mr. Gast made Math fun ... I looked forward to each and every class that he led ... One of Edgemont's best ... <3 <3 <3

To my Father in law,
What an amazing blessing it has been to be your daughter in law.
I will always be grateful for the loving way that you welcomed me into the family from the very start. There are so many cherished memories, especially those of our mutual love of singing and watching you thoroughly enjoy your grandchild. Most importantly, your constant love and support for us will remain strong forever in our hearts.  With love, Susan

Dr G.
From the Edgemont class of 1968, Dr. G could best be described in two words, a mentor and a mensch 
RIP Dr G

Richard (he was Mr. Gast to me) was a wonderful Math teacher who used humor and common sense  to get the concepts into the heads of non-math students like me.  He was a great Edgemont assistant coach and sports booster.  I enjoyed his wit and especially his abilities as a teacher.  My sincere condolences to Richard’s family and friends.  We all have our memories of this wonderful man.

So sorry to hear. Really enjoyed my classes with him at EHS. Thoughts to his family. He was a true educator. Class of 1967.

I was a student of him twice, and have very fond memories of him as a teacher, an enthusiastic Mathletes coach (even chanting a cheer for the team), and a proud St. John’s fan.

He also met my father through the church choir and was a kind and understanding friend to him after my dad suffered a stroke.

My condolences to the family on their loss of such a wonderful person.  He will  be missed.

He was a fantastic math teacher.  I loved his grin. He had a unique jovial and caring personality.  I am grateful for his presence in my life and for his dedicated years of teaching at EHS. Infinite blessings to him in his journey and blessings to his entire family.

Dear Teresa ,
I will always remember Dick as a stellar educator, and he was very kind to me when I joined the Edgemont faculty in 1978! Without question, he was a master teacher, loved by his students, who appreciated his dedication to, as he stated to me, "the elegance of math!"
He had high energy, and loved the classroom!
Kathy Williams Reilly

OBITUARY

Richard H. Gast

February 20, 1936 – March 25, 2025

Edwin L. Bennett Funeral Homes

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