It is with great sadness that his four children, Barbara, Steve, Susan, and Rob Hussey announce the passing of their father, Gary Lowell Meeker, on March 25 th in Los Altos, California. In addition to his four children, Gary is also survived by six grandchildren and two great
grandchildren.

Gary – and he would be the first to say – lived a full and rich life. Gary was born in Ottumwa, Iowa on July 18, 1934, and reared there by a "hell-raising father and a helpful and concerned mother" until the age of 10 when the family moved to Los Angeles, and he had to leave his
beloved cactus plant behind. In Los Angeles (Highland Park, actually) he enjoyed working a paper route with his brother Don, going to the Saturday matinee, reading and working in the library. At the age of 15 – unbeknownst to his parents – Gary purchased his first car (a 1934 5-
Window Ford) with his earnings from working as an usher at the local theatre. When his father found out, he put insurance on the car but never said a word about it. Gary joined the US Navy after high school and served at Point Magu Naval Air Station and aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Lexington in the Pacific Ocean. Following the Navy, Gary moved to Santa Barbara where he worked for American Machine and Foundry (AMF) until moving to Capitola where he lived for nearly the rest of his life. He would call it home. It was there he met his wife, Lois, and her four children who were neighbors across the street.

As evident from his teenage activities, Gary loved cars. In 1959, Gary purchased an Austin Healey "Bug-Eye" Sprite and began racing it with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). He returned to racing – again in a Sprite – in the late 70's, becoming a multiple regional champion
before mentoring and assisting his son, Steve, in becoming a two-time, national champion. He involved himself in all things racing and served in a variety of volunteer positions in the San Francisco Region of the SCCA, including five years as its regional executive and was a founding
and guiding force in the creation of the club's racetrack, Thunderhill, in Willows, California. Gary was the recipient of numerous accolades for his lifetime achievements in SCCA, the pinnacle being his induction in the region's hall of fame in 2011, in which during his acceptance speech he quoted legendary racer Sir Sterling Moss who said, "… create something rather than follow something." And so, Gary did and had.

Gary loved kids. His initial reputation in Capitola came from giving candy to the kids who chased his car every night when he came home from work. A nephew knew of him as "Blah!" as he would stick out his tongue and exclaim that word in the grinning toddler's face each time he saw him. The little surfer kid at the end of the court affectionately became known as "Beatle Bomb" as Gary would wave and point to him each time he passed. Another kid – innocently sitting at the dinner table – smiled and laughed when a dollop of sour cream ended up on his nose. Flung by Gary. A young go-kart racer's matriculation to sports car racing in SCCA would be championed by Gary. And if his kids left the house, even as they were adults, he could be seen standing at the end of the cul-de-sac waving good-bye as the child's car tooted and rounded the corner heading home. In and through those acts he had the compassion to see the dreams of a child; the kindness to see if he could help; and the desire to – most of all – express his love for children.

Gary's greatest love, though, was his wife of over 51 years, Lois. Through the years they raised children, helped with science projects, attended countless school, sports and artistic events, as station-wagon drivers for a group of kids, workers at various fund raisers, or just (and always primarily) as parents. They hosted many gatherings from last-minute dinner guests who had inquired what they were having for dinner to pool parties at their home. After his retirement, Gary relished driving Lois to work, making her lunch and creatively coming up with something fun (or at least different) for dinner, although not always to Lois' less adventuresome liking. In their golden years Gary and Lois traveled the world, going to more countries than can be named here. Gary chronicled those trips and memories with journals and photo albums that they (and others) enjoyed for the rest of their years. Lois preceded Gary in death by five years, and he was never the same. He wished they could do it all again.

Gary requested that the family have a party: "long enough after his passing so that no one is sad, but soon enough that everyone remembers." Not sure if those two goals are mutually possible, but there will be a celebration of his life, two days after what would have been his 90 th birthday, on July 20 th at his son Steve's home in Los Altos. If you would like to attend, he requested you bring a story to tell. And so, we'll remember.