Gary took his final train ride to heaven on 8/25/24 and arrived on time and safely at 11:55 AM. Upon his arrival, he promptly manned the heavenly BBQ station, grilling and smoking the most delicious brisket/ribs/pork butt/steaks/chicken while sipping a beer (not fruited, mind you) and listening to his favorite playlist of country western and best of the 60’s to 90’s songs. As God was directing him to the hobby room where he set up a spectacular model train display, he paused for a moment to proudly salute those brave men/women who sacrificed their lives to protect & defend our great nation. While ascending to heaven he captured the most beautiful and majestic scenery with his drone video and his new Canon camera. I’m so grateful and blessed that Gary chronicled our 45 years together in photos.
Gary’s life began in New Mexico in 1952. He was the son of Nelson(dec) and Emma Jane(aged 95) Sitler, brother to Jeff and sister to Jenny (dec). He moved back to Pennsylvania with his family to finish High School and Community College. He married the love of his life, Kerry in 1979. His darling daughter Beverly, son-in-law Chad and his precious granddaughter, Kaitlyn were his pride and joy. Our annual family vacations to Galveston, Port Aransas, Kingsland & on the Lake Amistad houseboat always yielded a big “win” for the annual Red River rivalry between Oklahoma University Sooner football vs Texas Longhorns and we always completed a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle in record time. He is also survived by his father-in-law, Speck Nelson (aged 92) whom he lovingly prepared/vacuumed sealed smoked/fried turkey with all the trimmings as well as BBQ meats & favorite meals for Speck to enjoy.
Gary faithfully & proudly served in the US Air Force for 21 years as both an enlisted man & as an officer. He obtained a BA degree in business from Angelo State University (ROTC program) & a master’s degree in computer sciences from Webster University during his tenure in Air Force. His AF career began in the early 1970’s which took him to Laughlin AFB, Texas where he met & married Kerry and brought Beverly into this world, then placed him at Keesler AFB, MS, then to the remote island of Shemya AB, AK, next stop was Wiesbaden AB, Germany where he developed his love for collecting Marklin model trains and his final assignment was to Tinker AFB, OK. Gary was a respected, compassionate & disciplined follower & leader who employed total quality management and common-sense principles while injecting integrity and excellence at each assignment.
Following his retirement in 1994, he taught computer science courses at Rose State College (OK) then followed Kerry to her final AF assignment & moved to San Antonio, TX in 2001. Gary then pursued & enjoyed maintaining the “best yard” in the neighborhood, proudly showing his patriotism for America with a yard filled with American flags and red/white/blue décor as well as having the most unique/fun/train-themed Halloween and Christmas displays. Gary also enjoyed hosting neighborhood/motorcycle club parties usually in/around the 4th of July and at Halloween. He rode Harley-Davidson motorcycles (3 in all) and was the chief photographer & a road Captain for the local H-D club. But he truly cherished and enjoyed taking Kerry on her designated adventures across this beautiful nation.
Gary did not tolerate mediocrity…each project needed to be perfect. He was a fix-it man, a warm/devoted husband, father, Opa, son, brother and friend, a true patriot and most recently embraced all things related to NASA/Space X rocketry. He will be truly missed!
I know that Gary would like each & everyone to reflect: that every day is a gift from God…use it wisely, please respect and love our country and to have a drama-free day. God Bless America!
The family will have a celebration of his life later this year. In lieu of flowers, Gary truly enjoyed his motorcycle rides to the Medina Children’s Home in Bandera County, Texas and was a proud supporter of the San Antonio Food Bank.
