Thursday, April 6, 2017
Gary had a beautiful smile, a quick wit and a wonderful sense of humour. We first met as teenagers and became close friends. He loved his red 1965 Comet and I remember going for some very fast rides with him. Gary loved the music from the 50’s and 60’s and he was a country music crooner. I am not a fan of country music and Gary and I often joked about that. Recently, we went for a drive together and I told him that my car comes to a full stop if country music is played on my radio. We laughed together. For me, Gary was kind, friendly, caring, and genuine. He could be stubborn and opinionated but then again so could I. Maybe that is why we got along so well. We truly had a mutual respect for each other. I always felt a connection with him. Life took us in different directions until we both moved back to Rice Lake. Since then our connection grew. Our visits together became more frequent and longer because we talked for hours and hours. We discussed so many things and we laughed a lot. No topic was out of bounds. We reminisced about our teen years and mutual friends. We talked about our families, past relationships, cancer, life, death, politics and whatever else came up. Each time we said goodbye we gave each other a long firm hug. I am so grateful for the special time we had together. I will miss him and always cherish our friendship. Gary loved his family and really appreciated the love and support they gave him. Every time I saw Gary he praised his family and how lucky he was to have them. He was also very relieved to know that his wonderful dog, Sadie, would have a new home across the road with Kim and her family. Linda did a terrific job as case manager of medical services, home care, food, finances and whatever else needed to be done. Gary called her his rock. He didn’t know how he would have coped without her. His family was truly a gift to him as I am sure he was to them. He will be missed by many. With deepest sympathies from Linda Harris.
