Obituary of Gary Ronald Lee

Cheers to Gary for having lived 78 years on his own terms - except the last few weeks which he would have thought were crap. Gary grew up on Sussex St. in Smiths Falls next to the railway tracks and spent countless hours in his early years outside watching the trains. His parents, Bill and Wilma, were the type of parents, in typical 1950s fashion, to let the children explore life on their own. Looking back on those years, Gary talked about his bond with siblings, Diane, Art, Linda and Kenny, shenanigans with the neighbourhood kids, his love of animals and birds and rocking on the porch of the Warren house waiting for Mr. Warren to come home so they could discuss their pigeons. Never one to conform, his youth was spent testing limits and having fun. He developed his love of muscle cars and music, street smarts, and quick wit during these years. In 1968, he and his wife Evelyn connected at a Halloween dance and have been moving together ever since. He would say that he admired her outgoing personality, kindness and strength and loved her for 56 years. Soon they welcomed two daughters, Laurie and Yvonne, whom he also loved deeply. Gary hired on the railroad in 1970 and ‘road the rails’ for the next thirty-two years. He was proud of his service but even prouder to have collected the railroad pension for almost as long. During this time, he and Evelyn worked hard to build a life together and moved so much, renovating and building homes, that people joked that they must have inflatable furniture. No amount of ribbing would deter Gary from the life that made him happy. He became a homebody who loved his routine and afternoon beer in the garage. Virtually no social invitation would be accepted but he would welcome in any visitor to his garage for a story or a laugh. Despite his limited education, he was an intelligent man who could converse about most anything and mastered the art of joke telling. He enjoyed watching comedy and following sports, especially hockey. He had a gift for trivia and often remarked that his head was full of all kinds of useless information. Always showing an affection for animals, he considered his yellow labrador, Cody, to have been the best of companions. Gary loved the thrill of a big purchase. He spent countless hours searching for and buying cars, trucks, boats, and tractors only to sell them shortly thereafter. He also enjoyed standardbred horse racing and owned and raced many horses over the years, chasing the thrill and then bowing out again. Little else was required to make his days complete. Gary could be depended on by his girls, their partners Jeff and Dave, his grandchildren (Lee (Rose), Caitlyn, Parker, Ty and Cole) and great grandchildren (Mason, Isaac & Olivia) for quiet support and advice when asked. He will be remembered by them for his sense of humour and generosity. Due to the fact that Gary would never want to dress up and go anywhere, he did not want a funeral or service. In his memory, you could grab a drink and make a toast to Gary or “Gig” and everyone else who dares to live life on their own terms.