Gary Hale passed away on January 3, 2020, at LMH Health in Lawrence Kansas. He was 83 years old.
Gary was born April 14, 1936, in Concordia, KS, to Fred Hale and June (Shively) Hale. He grew up in western Kansas and graduated from Atwood Rural High School, where he played football and was an honor student. In 1958, he earned a baccalaureate degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas. He followed his family’s passion for publishing weekly newspapers and became the editor and publisher of the Hugoton Hermes in Hugoton, KS.
However, Gary decided to break the family mold in order to become an attorney. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas in 1970, and he pursued a career as a trust officer in three different banks located in Kansas. The final chapter in Gary’s career was to practice as a financial planner.
Gary married Kay Roberts in 1959 and they had two children, David and Gregory. Gary was a family man and he supported the development of his sons both as scholars and athletes. He also shared his passion for golf with anyone who was interested.
Gary always supported his community through involvement in service organizations and his church. He served on the Advisory Committee as well as the Board of Directors of the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging for more than 10 years.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents and his son, David.
Gary is survived by his wife, Kay; his son, Greg and wife Alex; and their daughters, Grace and Mackenzie; and Madeleine Hale, a daughter of David; as well as a sister, Valerie Bearley and husband Craig. In addition Gary is survived by a special family friend, Michelle Meyer and husband, Tim, and their two children, Noah and Melanie.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to either the First United Methodist Church, the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging, or the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of Lawrence. Contributions should be sent to Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1260, Lawrence, KS, 66044.
A Celebration of Life for Gary will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, January 10th in the Smith Center at Brandon Woods, 4730 Brandon Woods Terr., Lawrence, KS 66047
Dear Kay and Greg and family, I will miss Gary terribly; he was a staunch and loyal friend such as is hard to find. His advice was clear, kind, and right. I will never forget him. He was a mentor for me in many ways that I continue to appreciate today. My dear ones, I send you my love and my heartfelt grief for your loss of such a fine, dear man: a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle, and a grandfather, in addition to a lifelong friend.
Greg, I’m sorry to hear of the passing of your father. Remember that you will always have his love and the memories you created with him.
Greg, I worked with you at Food4LESS.
I will miss cousin Gary’s presence in the world. He was an amazing man, and he and Kay are always in my heart.
Kay and Family
We have always appreciated how instrumental Gary was in our move to Lawrence; through his kindness and thoughtfulness, he facilitated our move–then proved to be an ongoing friend.
Dear Kay and family,
Thinking of you as you go through this difficult time. We sure thought the world of you and Gary in the Parkinsons support group.
To Kay and family. So sad to hear the news of Gary’s death. I know the last few years have been a real challenge, but know you have wonderful memories to help guide you on this new journey. You are in my thoughts.
Gary was a terrific Grandfather to Maddie. I will never forget and we all agreed when she was born how much she resembled him. His life has been an inspiration to us all. With my deepest sympathy, love and gratitude, Nickie
Kay and Greg,
I am so saddened to hear about the death of Gary Hale. In speaking about Gary over the years, I always said he truly was a prince of a man. He was always kind and generous in his speech and actions. He loved Kay and always spoke so respectfully and admirably about her. He loved his children so much. I worked for Gary in the Trust Department at the University State Bank. He was the best boss I have ever known. In the time I knew him, I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He had a wonderful sense of humor. I will miss Gary a lot. My best to his family in this sad time.
To Kay and family: Our hearts go out to you at this time of loss. Gary was a fine attorney, fiduciary and friend.
I am so sorry for your loss. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Sending you all our love and support Kay and Greg. Gary, your smile lit up a room. I love you and will miss you.
Adina
Kay, I’m so sorry to hear of Gary’s passing. He will certainly be missed by a lot of people. Keep strong. Sue Pearson
Gary was a wonderful man, and his warmth, commitment to social issues, and graciousness will be missed. We send our deepest condolences to Kay.
We have known Kay and Gary Hale since 1969 when Gary was in law school and Jim was in graduate school and our children were enrolled at Lawrence Community Nursery School. During the past ten years we have spent a lot of time together because Jim and Gary served together on the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging board of directors and we shared many social events. Gary Hale was a man of integrity, wisdom, kindness, humor, and grace. He bore his last illness with dignity and determination. Jim and I will miss his company. We send our love and respect to Kay, Greg, and all of the Hale family.
Gary was such a sweetheart.
He will he missed! My thoughts are with you at this time Kay!