Gary Tuttle

Last Wednesday, we lost our dear friend Gary Tuttle to a sudden and unexpected accident.  It's been a difficult few days, processing such a tragic loss.  I wanted to be able to honor Gary and the amazing life that he led, so I thought I'd do, what I do, and write about Gary's life and the impact that he had on mine and so many others.

We met Gary and his family about 10 years ago when we came out to Eastport.  Two of his awesome children were involved in our youth ministry at that time.  We even took them on a missions trip to Brazil which was a wonderful experience.

When I think of Gary and the things that were important to him, I definitely think of his love for God.  Gary was an elder at our church for many years and was involved in many different ministries.  Gary was incredibly wise and knowledgable about the Bible and he did an amazing job of sharing that with others.  

I still remember a sermon that he shared one Sunday.  He talked about Orthodoxy and it's purpose of "straight thinking."  He shared that we all need to be sure that we have a right mindset.  It was something that stuck with me over the years.  More importantly though, Gary's daily life was a ministry.  He took opportunities each day to connect with people and share his faith.  It was something that touched many, many lives.

Gary was also an incredibly hard worker.  He was known around our town as someone who could fix things and was often seen working on a variety of projects.  In 1994 he re-shingled the entire roof and steeples of our church.  He had a strong work ethic and helped many people throughout the years.

Gary had a wonderful family that we have known and loved for many years.  Three of his five children are pictured here and it was quite clear that he loved his family very much.

It's been a blessing especially to see these three grow into incredible young adults.  Hearing their stories, it's clear that the values and love for God that Gary had has been instilled in their lives as well.  

Four of Gary's children were involved in playing softball for our church.  Gary was faithful in attending most every game.  He carried his trusty chair to games far and near and was always there as a support for his kids.  

It was pretty neat over the past few years to get to know one of Gary's older sons as well.  He played quite a few games on the men's team.  He was incredibly close with his Dad and also worked along side of him on many projects as well.

Gary was a quiet, but faithful fan.

  

I'm sure he was pretty proud of his incredibly talented kids.

And I'm sure that he loved seeing them learn and grow over the years, like all of us parents do.  

 Gary was a very multifaceted man.  Another thing that I'm sure he will be remembered for is his love for antiques.  Gary knew everything about antiquing.  It was pretty fascinating to see.  Over this past year, he ran an antique shop over in East Moriches.  I would always try to ask him about antiques, because I know it's something that he loved.  On quite a few occasions, he also helped me get some pretty fun photography props.  I certainly will always appreciate the knowledge that he had, but moreso, his generosity and his helpfulness.    

Granted, this was only my limited perception of quite a great man.  I know for fact that the impact that Gary had on this world is quite greater and reached much further.  I know that me and my family were quite blessed to know this great man.  Jer had a strong friendship with Gary, and spent quite a bit of time with him over the years as he served on the elder board and did many other things around our church.  Christian was incredibly blessed to have Ranger Gary there for the first months of his very first year of Stockade.  And Ellee always got a wave and a smile from Gary when she would see him at church or working around the parsonage.  We mourn in his passing and our hearts are breaking for his family and loved ones.  

But thankfully, knowing Gary's love for the Lord, we mourn with hope in knowing that one day, we will see him again.  We know for certain that Gary is in a much greater place.  We are thankful for the very full life that he lived and for the great impact that he had on so many.  We will certainly miss this great man and just ask for prayers for his family and friends as they continue to move forward, forever holding the memories of Gary in their hearts and lives.