Services -page 1.1
Eulogy
Gary had a connection with the Lakota people.
All Native American tribes have their own belief systems concerning the afterlife. The Lakota believe that they do not die but rather "walk-on" to the spirit world, which is free of pain and suffering. The Lakota view death as a great equalizer regardless of individual achievements or status (elder, brave, chief).
Gary was born in St Louis in 1947. He moved to Cherry Hill with his parents in 1967. I met him in 1976, introduced by a mutual friend, Jeff LeVine. As a result, I joined the Maple Shade Rescue Service (MSRS - Heavy Rescue), where Gary was Deputy Chief. As in every firehouse, everyone has a nickname. Gary was known as “Benny”, due to his physical resemblance to “Benny The Ball”, a character in the animated series “Top Cat”.
Gary had a love of boating, often taking myself and other rescue members out on the Mullica River and Delaware River. He was generous, sometimes to a fault, and was included in many of my own family’s functions. A former member of the rescue service responded to me this week on Facebook, saying that Gary was the nicest guy he knew.
Gary became involved with a regional Search and Rescue team, partnering his beloved K9, Bernie, a bond that would never be broken.
After his father, Elmer, passed in 2009 (his mother, Dorothy, passed in 1977), Gary continued living in the Chery Hill home. After being swindled by a crooked contractor, coupled with some other financial issues, Gary became homeless, living in his car with Bernie. Many attempts were made to help Gary. However, most facilities would not let him keep Bernie. Occasionally, Gary would stay at a hotel, but Gary and Bernie spent most of their time on the road.
Through his affiliation with the Search and Rescue community, he had some acquaintances in the law enforcement community. They would watch out for him when he was parked overnight.
Gary began having health issues. One day, he called me in a panic. He needed to go to the hospital. I made arrangements for Bernie to stay with a friend. A few months later, Gary had to be hospitalized again. I was out of town on business and Bernie was sent to a shelter, the intention being to reunite them when Gary was healthy again.
Bernie passed away before Gary could get to him. Gary was devastated. It’s believed that Bernie basically died of a broken heart, and Gary rode with Bernie’s cremains by his side. Bernie’s cremains are here today, and I will live up to my promise of Bernie and Gary being together again.
So, Gary ended up alternating among life on the road, hospitalizations and rehabs. I did what I could do to be sure he and his belongings were safe, Finally, he ended up in a nursing home situation, that he never got out of. He fought until the end, but finally, his body could take no more.
Gary was the last of Elmer and Dorothy’s children to move on to the afterlife, being predeceased by his sisters Dorothy in 2008, and Shirley in 2019. Gary remained in contact with his nieces, Jennifer and Stephanie, who I have also remained in contact with.
Gary’s parents, are buried in Colestown Cemetery, where Gary will also be laid to rest. He and his nieces were pleased that I made arrangements for him to be buried there, very close to his parents and where he lived.
If anyone has anything they’d like to share, please feel free to do so at this time.
