Gary Hall Pickering Sr., 74, died September 14, 2016 at Creekside Care Community in Burlington, Washington following a brief illness.
He leaves his daughter Jennifer (Ward) Pickering and her husband Greg; his daughter Kellie (Isert) Pickering and her husband Tim; his son Gary Hall Pickering Jr.; his ex-wife Mona Pickering; his sister Ann Pickering; his brother Paul Pickering; several nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. He is also survived by his four grandchildren, Tayson and Ashlyn Pickering; Sam and Claire Isert.
Gary was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Arnold and Josephine Pickering.
He joined the Navy in 1962 and was stationed in Pensacola, Florida and served honorably as a Navy corpsman. Working at the base hospital, he met his wife, Mona, a Navy nurse. After their service, they were married in Toledo and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where he started his career in medical supply sales for Scientific Products.
In Lincoln they welcomed the birth of their two daughters. His job relocated him to Michigan in 1970 and his son Gary Jr. was born.
In 1979, a change in companies to Curtis Matheson Scientific relocated the family to Morristown, New Jersey and two years later to Maple Valley, Washington.
Gary was community minded, serving in both the Lion’s Club and the Maple Valley Rotary – where he was president and won the Paul Harris Award. He enjoyed learning new skills, spending a few years as a ski instructor, followed by becoming a soccer referee. Gary had a love for cooking and could be found in the kitchen at many local fund-raisers and events.
An avid golfer, Gary was a member of the Maple Valley Golf & Country Club. After retirement he moved to Casa Grande, Arizona to continue his love of golf.
He will be interned at Tahoma National Cemetery in a private family service.
