Gary Broman Pedersen

When Gary Broman Pedersen walked into a fourth grade classroom in his hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut, he had no idea he was about to meet the love of his life. He and Sandra Svenson spent nearly five decades together until she lost her battle with ALS in 2013 at age 70. He lost his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease on July 27, 2026 at 82.

Gary was born on August 26, 1943 to Janet Smith Pedersen and George Marcus Pedersen. His beloved older siblings outlived him: Gail Telerico, Mark Pedersen, and Judy Ferdinand.

After graduating from Greenwich High School, Gary served in the United States Navy before returning home to marry Sandra. They eventually relocated to Ohio where they owned and operated several NAPA auto parts stores. In their spare time they spent weekends boating on Lake Erie with family.

Gary leaves behind two children: Todd Broman Pedersen and Debra Pedersen Young, as well as his son-in-law Michael Young. He was a devoted grandfather to Tate Pedersen, Vanessa Young, and Trevor Young, and when Trevor married Miranda Bacon, Gary loved her like a granddaughter. Their son Henry was born in 2019, and Gary said becoming a great-grandfather was one of the greatest privileges of his lifetime. When Vanessa married Jonathan Allen, Gary finally had a fellow football aficionado to watch games with him.

All of the grandchildren spent countless hours visiting him as Alzheimer’s took hold. Vanessa, Trevor, and Mira recounted memories on Lake Erie, and Tate kept him apprised of her marine biology studies and equestrian competitions. As a fellow animal lover, Gary had become a Columbus Zoo docent in his 70s, spending many years answering visitors’ questions about giraffes, sting rays, and polar bears (his favorite docent posts). One month before he died, he made one last trip to the Zoo, where fellow docents greeted him and whisked him away to feed the giraffes one last time.

Gary asked his family to forgo a funeral, so they came up with another way to honor him. Please consider a donation to the Columbus Zoo: www.columbuszoo.org/memorial-gifts

Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share memories and condolences. Funeral arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON.