KC McAlpin

Feb. 18, 2024

Gary Lucien Gartner has been my best friend for 65 years. We were so close that after my parents moved away from Houston in 1965, I lived with Gary’s family and shared his room with him, while working on the Houston ship channel to earn money for college. That cemented our bond of friendship and I cannot recall a single instance during those summers in which we quarreled with each other. That is a testament to Gary’s patience, good humor, and love. Gary’s wonderful family called me No. 4, signifying that I was considered the fourth son in the clan. Gary had a great sense of humor and an active imagination and thanks to him, long before the age of video games, we never ran out of adventures and things to do.

After I left Texas and through all the decades thereafter, Gary and I stayed in touch, periodically calling each other and catching up by telephone. Like all best friends we shared our innermost thoughts with each other because our trust in each other was absolute. And then even when we argued about the things we did not agree on, we always knew those things would never break our bond of brotherhood.

One revealing indication of Gary’s character is that he and his adorable wife Susie have remained married for some 57 years. That is not due just to Gary, as anybody who have been married knows. But it is a big clue to Gary’s capacity for steadfast and enduring love, and thanks to that steadfast love, it was reciprocated to the fullest.

There is no way I could condense the countless experiences and memories that Gary and I have shared as friends for 65 years. But one of the characteristically loving things Gary did for me was to call me after my recent divorce. He instinctively knew I was hurting inside and he took it upon himself to call me every month or two to find out how I was doing, to encourage me, and to lift me up.

So, if you ask me what Gary has taught me through all the decades of our friendship, it is just this. Gary has taught me the meaning of brotherly love.

Thank you and God Bless You, Gary,

Love, No. 4