Gary was born April 20, 1958, and on August 24, 2024, he shed his earthly pain and made a graceful exit at the age of 66. He was preceded in death by his parents Dean and Margaret Bauer.
After a brief introduction to airplanes and taking a short flight as a teenager, Gary knew his career would be flying and his path was set. His first aviation job was at Central Wisconsin Airport where he pumped airplane fuel to earn money to pay for flying lessons. After years of hard work and flying for peanuts, Gary landed his first job at a major airline with Midway Airlines in Chicago. As the years passed, he eventually found his way to Texas and Southwest Airlines. He spent the next 25+ years enjoying an extraordinary flying career and learning to speak Texan. Howdy y'all! He loved to travel and experience other cultures, like whatever New Orleans is.
After retiring in 2018, Gary spent nearly all his waking hours collecting classic cars, and the occasional truck and/or boat, and making plans on how he could make them bigger (everything is bigger in Texas), better, and faster. Nothing brought Gary more pleasure than hanging out with his car buddies while they brought those plans to life. Car racing became a favorite pastime over the years, and he was an enthusiastic driver in both drag racing and road racing. Gary found such happiness sharing ideas with his car friends while they put their heads together planning and building his next car. Gary knew all there was to know about race cars and classic cars, except how to sell one. His extensive collection speaks for itself.
Had Gary's career in flying not worked out he fortunately had several backup careers which included, but were not limited to - cooking, photography, music, and bartending, which would always include his favorite drink du jour, an old fashioned, which he best enjoyed with family and friends, or his cat Peach.
Gary had a loving heart and soul, and a faith that there was something better waiting. He was a great friend to many, a loving grandfather to Coralie, Wesley, and Finnegan, and a generous and good-hearted uncle who took great interest in the goings on of his nieces and nephews. He will be sorely missed by them all, and by wife Stacy, son Dean Stallons (Marissa), sister Janet Salzman (James), cousin Linda Lawrence, brother by another mother Jim Lewis (Irene), neighborhood buddy Jim Shropshire, dear friend Lonnie Lee (Ashley), and Larry Hammer, with whom he remained best friends in life for over 40 years.
A Celebration of Gary's Life will take place on Oct 19th at 2:00 at The T. Boone Pickens Hospice and Palliative Care Center Chapel, within the Faith Presbyterian Hospice Center, 12477 Merit Dr., Dallas TX 75251.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in memory of Gary to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN.org), to New Beginnings Cat Rescue of Garland, TX (NBCRTX.org), or to a local cat rescue group.