Saying Goodbye
Gary passed away at 6:50 tonight (Sunday.)
I knew he had been declining all day, but it still took me by surprise. I had stayed close to him, asking him not to go anywhere if I needed to get up and leave the room. His mom, my parents and brother Jim and sister-in-law Jill were here and Jon stopped by to sit with his dad. We had a nice afternoon. Gary’s mom had just left, and my sister-in-law Jan had just arrived. We were all talking, Gary’s hand was on my knee. Jan walked over to check his pulse and I saw her face. A few breathes after that, Gary was gone. It was peaceful.
My parents, Jan and brother Steve are with Ben and I tonight. Again, I thank everyone for their comments and prayers – Gary and I have truly enjoyed reading the blog together. I will keep you posted on details.
Sending our love and prayers for strength your way.
To Gary’s family and friends, words are tuff to come by I’d love to say something profound to ease or comfort you. I remember Gary as a follower of Christ… a Christian. I have found comfort knowing Gary might soon see God and enter Heaven. I beleive at 6:50 Sunday Gary did just that. I find comfort in knowing a friend has left this earth to meet Jesus. We have all been able to share with Gary our love, admiration and respect and can follow Gary to Heaven someday. I am a better man for knowing Gary.
My thoughts are with you, Ben and everyone in the family. Gary is no longer in pain. Now I pray for the rest of you.
Still praying…I am so sorry, Sue.
I am so sorry..Our thoughts and prayer are with your family.
Sue, I’m so very sorry. May your wonderful memories shine through the sadness. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May the last memories of Gary be in your heart forever.
Sue,our thoughts and prayers are with you, Ben and all of your family. May God’s peace continue to give you strength….
We are so sincerely sorry Sue. Your entire family has been in our prayers – and will continue to be. Gary will be missed – but he will remain in our hearts forever. Thank you for sharing this journey with us through this blog… it’s been a way for all of us to keep in touch.
So sorry for the loss of Gary. I have had Gary and the family in my thoughts and prayers and I will continue to keep the family in my prayers. Gary was a nice fun friend to many and he will be missed. Keep the wonderful memories of Gary in your hearts.
Love,
Kim
There are never any words to adequately express the feelings around the loss of a person you admire,enjoy & love. Gary will be so very missed, Sue. I wish I was there. Hugs for you & Ben. I’m so sorry.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Ben and the entire Holt family during this difficult time. May you feel comfort in your loving memories of Gary. Love, Lori and Rob
I’m so sorry for your loss. And I will be thinking about all of you. The world lost a great man.
I have to repeat what Rick Minotte said, because it’s true for me, too. I am a better man because of Gary. And I feel I’m a better engineer because of Gary.
Everybody knows he was incredibly intelligent. But he was so much more than that. He was patient and kind. He was good humored and hard working. Ever since I’ve known him, I’ve done all I could to emulate him, and will continue to do so until my dying day.
I’ve always believed there is no better way to remember somebody than to keep them alive in that way, to take what you loved about a person and share it with the rest of the world.
I mentioned it to Gary before, but this year I released a free, open source book on sngforum.com to train satellite truck and television engineers. And Gary was it’s first inspiration. He taught me that knowledge should be shared, not hoarded. Many of his thoughts, theories, and his life’s work is reflected in those pages and in the last year, it has been read by hundreds of satellite uplink and television engineers around the world.
While we all send ripples like this all around the world, by doing good work, and being a good person, Gary made a big splash in this world, and his waves will be felt and remembered for some time.
To all who shared comments of how Gary inspired their lives,
I and other family members want to THANK YOU for sharing memories of Gary with us. It has made these past months memorable and helpful to really know more about Gary’s life. It was also very gratifiying to meet his friends and co-workers thought the blog.
Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote Brief is LIFE; but long is LOVE.
This just seemed to sum up how I feel about my nephews life.
His LOVE will be with me for eternity as I know it will for everyone that lnew him.
Gary will make new friends and meet with old friends in Heaven.
Love Aunt Pat
I lit a candle for you today, Gary. Praying for your peace in heaven.
Love and condolences to you, Sue, Ben, Marcia, Dee, Jon, Steven, Deborah, and Elisabeth and all other friends and family.
With sympathy,
Shelley, Barry, Brianna, and Ayla Paige
Sue…all our love to you, Ben, and the family.
Sue and Family,
We are so sorry for your loss. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Sue and Ben-
Fitting for Gary to depart for heaven just as the beautiful Harvest Moon rose in the evening sky. My prayers continue to be with you.
Robyn
Dear Sue,
Words do not exist that can properly express the deep sadness I feel for your loss. I am grateful only for the tremendous support you have in all the people who love and surround you at this time. You took care of Gary and did what you could to make him comfortable. You’re an amazing woman. Now it is time for you to let your loved ones take care of you.
Nobody needs to tell you that Gary was a great man who touched many people. You know that better than anyone.
My thoughts continue to be with you and all those who loved Gary and are hurting at this time.
All my love,
Jessica
Dear Sue and Ben and family,
We are all so sorry. I just want you to know that we pray you continue to have the amazing strength and love that you have had throughout this fight. Our hearts go out to you.
Love from Ruth, Michael, Aidan and Shewaye Jimenez
Sue, saddness fills my heart. Gary truly was a good and kind person. As with others he he passed on his knowlege to me both at work and in ham radio. I was blessed to be able to call him friend. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
“One can survive everything nowadays, except death, and live down anything, except a good reputation.” … Oscar Wilde.
You have left an indelible impression with everyone Gary Holt. Godspeed.
Our thoughts continue to be with you, Sue. Very sorry for your loss. Please know that many, many people admire you and your family for your wonderful courage through all of this.
Sue, your love, courage and faith in these weeks and months have been amazing. I can’t imagine the pain you must be going through right now, but I have seen the strength you have shown for so long and know you will continue to share your wisdom and love with Ben in the years to come. May God be there always to bless you and yours.
Sue, our heartfelt prayers are extended to you and your entire network of family and friends. Gary was a great man, and his kindness, fairness, and overall goodness will remain with me forever.
Sue and Ben,
I truly cannot find the words to express my sympathy. Gary’s journey has tought me so many important life lessons and for that i am so grateful. A friend reminded me of this poem the other day and I find it somehow fits the love between you and Gary: “time is a tree (this life one leaf) but love is the sky and i am for you just so long and long enough”
— e.e. cummings
All my love,
margaret
Will Miss Gary so Very MUCH !!
God Bless You Sue; You were so strong during those 2 years of battle . Gary was an amazing man and will never be forget . I will call You later on today.
All our Love and prayers goes to You are Your family .
LOVE
Gilles & Carole Marini
Sue and Ben,
I am so sorry. May you be surrounded with peace and comfort. My prayers are with all of you. Hugs to both of you.
Cindy Weber
“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”
~Thomas Paine
Based on the sentiments shared by those that knew Gary I know that he had great character, God knows this as well. My thoughts are with you Sue, Ben and family.
Sue, Ben and family my deepest sympathy to all. There are no words that can help to ease your pain during this time, just know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Dear Sue,
So sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers have been (and will remain) with you and yours. Peace be with you, and with you, Gary. Godspeed and God bless you both.
Susan Eugenia:
Our deepest sympathy. You and your family are in
our prayers. If there is anything we can do for
you, please let us know.
Gary is in good hands and so are you.
Collin and Lori Ventrella
Dear Sue, Ben, and family,
I have never met you, but came to learn of your family’s story through this blog. I am simply amazed at everything Gary and all of you did to help others with cancer, all while Gary was waging his own battle with the disease. You have all inspired me to do more in this fight, and I thank you for that.
My thoughts and prayers are with you. God Bless,
Nicole Trudell
Dear Sue, Ben and your entire family,
We are so sorry for your loss. Our hearts and hugs to out to your entire family. God Bless you all.
Lisa, RJ, Isabella and Andy
Sue, May and I have been reading the posts and thank you for the updates. We both send our Love and prayers. You know if you ever need anything, just ask.
Gary was one of the smartest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing; I swear there was nothing he didn’t know. And he was very patient with all of my computer questions (at least to my face
But he was also very instrumental in helping me choose my very first rifle (me being a dedicated handgun person). It was because of his insight and facts and figures that I chose the rifle I did. And I have been very successful in putting venison in the freezer each year. He will be with me as I sit on the hill this fall hunting those elusive brown ghosts. Thinking of you all…..
Our deepest sympathies Sue, Ben, and family. We will miss Gary greatly. He was a truly wonderful person. He left a great mark on the world around him. May God give you strength and peace in this time. You have such wonderful memories with him to hold on to forever.
Thank you for taking us with you on your journey. May the love you have in your heart always give you comfort and strength. All our love to you and the children! Jack, Joanne, and Grandma Hilliker
Sue and Ben -deepest sympathy to you and your family. Your amazing strength and courage over these past few years is such an inspiration to us all. May peace be with you.
♥ Megan • Eric • Alexander • Zakary • Isabella
I am so sorry that you have had to experience all this and for your loss of Gary. The short time that I knew him I was amazed by his calmness and his determination. It has been a difficult journey for you all. My heart goes out to you and prayers for strength to continue. Hugs to you sweet Sue and the children- all of them.
Becky
Sue and Ben~
We were all blessed to have known Gary. He was an inspiration to many. My thoughts and prayers to the both of you. A big hug as well! Remember, he’ll always be there:)
Lots of Love,
Jackie
Sue,
I am very sorry for your loss. You are one of the strongest and kindest woman I have ever met. Not only was this a struggle for Gary, but it was a great emotional struggle for you too. Gary is happy, carefree and no longer in pain. From looking at how many posts on here, you have so much support! Be grateful and keep your head up, Gary isn’t in pain anymore.
I miss you and love you.
Taylor
Dear Sue and family,
As a previous poster said, words are very hard to come by at a time like this. Saying “I’m sorry for your loss” seems so mechanical and hollow and dosen’t really convay the true feelings that we have. But that is what we say and if we were with you in person you would feel the depth of feeling in our words. We are at our core spritual beings having a physical experience. Gary’s physical experience is over and his spirit now rests in the arms of a loving Saviour. Now for him the real adventure and the real life begins! He is a good man Sue and we can take much comfort in the fact that we will see him again. May God’s grace and peace comfort and fill you in the day’s ahead. We will continue to pray for you all.
73, and 88 Garry and Karen
Sue –
I am sorry for your loss. These words do not bring comfort, but the understanding and closeness of friends and family does. More then that, God “comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Cor 1:4). I am praying that God would grant you the grace of His tender presence to bring comfort in the face of tremendous loss, and that you will be blessed as you turn to and trust in Him.
I am thankful that Gary’s passing was peaceful, and thankful that you were given the strength to fight alongside him through these 2+ years.
eric
Sue, Ben and Family,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss, I cannot even begin to find words to express how sad I am for you.
Gary was a wonderful and talented man, and I feel so blessed to have know him.
You’re in my thoughts and prayers.
Love, Deb
Dear Sue -
Amy forwarded me the news of your husband’s passing. I am so sorry for your loss and will hold you and your entire family in my heart and prayers. Peace to you, your heart, your life, and to Gary. love leela
Dear Sue,
I just heard this tragic news from Sam only minutes ago and so many days late. I am so sorry for your loss. Gary was a kind, gentle, and generous man who had a keen sense of balance in the tv news / engineering atmosphere. I am so glad that you two found each other. You’re a strong woman and I am thankful that Gary had you to hold on to in these difficult days. Be strong and know that my thoughts and love and prayers are speeding your way — from our high of 85 to your Minnesota dusting of snow. I am thinking of you and of Gary fondly.
With love,
Jamie
My heart broke into pieces when I learned that Gary has gone to his Maker. Memories of our times at the Dancing with the Stars show with Gilles, our families and friends came flooding back to me. I know he was hurting then and I admired his courage and strength to enjoy the experience.
I wish I had words to comfort and sustain you in your grief, but there are none that will take away any pain. My heart aches for you and I have you and your family in my prayers.
Please accept these written words, futile though it may be, as warm hugs and know that I have you and your family in my heart at this sad and difficult time.
Please keep in touch.
With love always,
Cheryl