Gary Charles Curtin

Gary was born in Denver, Colorado in 1935 to Gilbert and Luetta Curtin, and was the younger brother of Vallorie Meehan (Dan) and Gloria Ott (Dave), all of whom predeceased him.

After graduating from East High School in Denver, Gary enlisted in the Navy before being convinced by his mother to attend university. Having aspired to either be a garbage man or a geologist, Gary ultimately graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in geology. During his summers, he worked for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and, upon graduation, worked as a geochemist for the USGS for the duration of his 40+ year career. He loved spending time in the field collecting mineral samples in the American West and Alaska, analyzing them in the lab, and mapping the mineral resources. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserves maintaining F4U Corsairs and other aircraft for twelve years.

He married Kay Shirley Lyon and had two children, Molly (Roland) and Michael (Jess). Predeceased by Kay, he married Barbara Grehan, a former schoolteacher, who was a wonderful wife and mother to his children. Gary was a devoted husband and father, a renowned fixer of anything broken, an antique car enthusiast, and artist. He will always be remembered for his devout spiritual life and service to others. He taught swimming to Special Olympians, tutored children at Vecinos Unidos in Herndon, Virginia and, after moving to Williamsburg, Virginia with Barbara in 2006, volunteered with Meals on Wheels and the House of Mercy for several years. He loved the Lord, availed himself regularly of the Sacraments of the Church, and actively participated in Bible studies, prayer groups, and other parish activities at Saint Bede Catholic Church.

Gary was an avid swimmer and cyclist – and general health nut. He competed in U.S. Masters Swimming events at the state level until 2022, taking all the blue ribbons (though he would be the first to divulge that in recent years, he was the only one competing in his age category). Gary will also be remembered for his keen intellectual curiosity. He loved history, particularly of the American West, and rather than reading about history, he read history in the form of original sources. He had a prodigious memory and grasp of details regarding everything of interest to him. Gary was an artist whose humorous, whimsical, and imaginative works will continue to bring joy to all who saw them. Since 2011, he and Barbara were monthly vendors of Gary’s Artburn prints, t-shirts, and greeting cards at Second Sundays in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it is said that owning one of Gary’s pieces was a “must” for students at the College of William and Mary.

Gary is survived by his wife, Barbara, two children, and seven grandchildren: Kathleen, Robert, Marie-Odette, Emmy, Charles, Laure, and Michael. He and his playful sense of humor will be sorely missed by them and several nieces and nephews with whom he was very close.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, Virginia on Friday, February 21, at 3:30 pm, followed by inurnment in the columbarium on site.

Donations can be made in Gary’s name to the House of Mercy, Williamsburg, Virginia (williamsburghouseofmercy.org).