Gary Whitehill, 44, of Kirby, died peacefully Friday morning,
June 10, 2005, at NVRH with his sister Donna by his side. Gary
was born June 23, 1960. His mother had to be hospitalized for
a time after his birth, and he was tenderly cared for by his dear
Aunt Isabel and Uncle Dwight in Orleans. With a hint of the 6-foot, 5-inch height he would eventually attain, Gary outgrew his
bassinet in two weeks. Gary always loved sports. As a child, he
spent endless hours shooting hoops or punting a football. His
practice served him well and he excelled at high school sports.
Gary was chosen for the 1978 Vermont Shrine Maple Sugar
Bowl team. His father, Bernie, was very proud of all his
accomplishments and never missed a game. Gary loved the
south and after graduation from Lyndon Institute in 1978, he
attended Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala. He
graduated in 1982 and began work in the travel industry. His
work took him all over the United States and Europe and he
logged up to 500,000 air miles a year. In 1988, Gary was
diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and began a courageous fight
with this debilitating disease. While MS would gradually rob
Gary of his physical abilities, his decency, character and
courage only grew. Fiercely independent, Gary lived on his own
and worked as long as was humanly possible. He even did a
stint of modeling while he was in Florida. In 1994, he
transferred to Salt Lake City, Utah, to work in his company's
Western Division. He had a cot in his office so he could rest a
bit, then get back to work. Gary's mother Trudy was his strong
and true partner in his efforts to live as fully as he could. She
cared for him in Florida and helped him move out west where
she learned to navigate his large handicapped-accessible van
throughout the busy streets and mountain roads of Utah. They
also traveled to a clinic in Germany to see a specialist, and had
a trip to Hawaii where they flew in a helicopter into the valleys
of Maui and watched whales in the Pacific Ocean. Gary
continually challenged himself and tried whatever he could
while he was able. While in Utah, he got involved in an adaptive
sports program and went skydiving (something he would keep
from his mother for a few months!), hang gliding, parasailing
and dog sledding. He took bobsled runs at 75 mph with the
U.S. Olympic Bobsled team in Park City. One of his projects was
a video he put together of his various exploits. He edited the
film, narrated it and chose music to accompany it. Gary kept his
mind sharp by teaching himself Spanish, learning how to use
computers and keeping informed on current events. His
memory was wonderful and many times his family would go to
him for such pertinent information as who coached the Chicago
Bears in 1975. He always had the answers. In 1998, Gary
returned to his family home in Kirby, where he was devotedly
cared for by his mother and the rest of his family. His courage
and humor inspired everyone around him. He enjoyed a good
joke, music, a fine cigar and the beauty of nature. He loved
horses, watching birds come to his windowsill feeder and had a
special affinity for wolves. His wheelchair was fitted with an
apparatus so Gary could propel himself with head controls and
he could often be found venturing out to visit with the Willey's
cows across the street. He drove his chair the day before his
hospitalization with pneumonia and managed to hide in a lilac
bush as a prank on his mother. He was an avid sports fan and
enjoyed football games, Triple Crown races and, most recently,
was a true Red Sox fan. Gary never felt sorry for himself and
always had compassion and consideration for others. He was a
gift to us all, and the lessons he taught us by example will
never be forgotten. There will be a celebration of Gary's life at
the family home on North Kirby Road on Sunday, June 26, from 2-5 p.m.
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