Gary Lee Burgess' Obituary
Gary Lee Burgess died at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 1 in Delray Beach, Florida. He was 82. Gary was the son of Lee and Madeline, brother to LyAnn, Judy, Denise and Kelly, father to Laurie, Mark, Scott, and Lisa, grandfather to Zoe, Alex, Sydney, and Lucus, and great grandfather to Dylan. He approached life with a smile and kept a laugh in his pocket, always ready to share it with anyone, along with a story (though if you knew him, you might already know the story). Gary was a Baptist minister for three decades before pursuing various ventures in counseling, urine testing, and finally urine production at Starbucks. An avid painter, he sold a couple of paintings, so, he would say that he was a professional artist. Of course, if he was paid to stop singing, he would consider himself a professional musician. See, Gary could always find the best in any situation, undaunted by circumstances, unphased by adversity. But most of all, Gary was kind. Not in that genteel sort of way but in that deep-rooted, essence of a person’s soul. His superpower was to make any person feel like they were the only person in the world. His kindness was infectious and passed along to his children, and their children, as well as terribly ugly feet, ginger hair, and a predisposition to diabetes and heart disease. Gary is survived by his long-time caring partner Jerrie Kline Stiglitz, his sister Denise, the mother of his children, Linda Cappella, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchild. While we would all selfishly like one more day with him, we know he was ready, and our own kindness couldn’t keep him. We never could. He will be missed.
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