Gary was over 6 foot tall, thin and lean, with red straight hair who was in his 20s and thus my elder.
I was a youth of 17. Trying to follow my natural Father's footsteps,I was in Cosmetology School...only to discover that I was not "cut out" for that mold.
Nevertheless, at the time it was all that seemed appropriate for the Barber's daughter. Gary was a Senior Student by the time I came along. Senior Student's were often assigned to "teach" the incoming students what they needed to know from the "books".....Gary was assigned to me. Gary taught me what I needed to know to survive the individual instructers as well as the "book stuff".
We also spent many breaks just talking about life in general. Gary told me stories of when he was in Vietnam and seeing Miss America surface from the pool there after not seeing a woman for months. He said, "You can't imagine what a treat for sore eyes that was."
He told me of his one love in life who had married someone else. He said if her husband died he would give her a respectable amount of "mourning time"....Then, he would try to
make his heart's desire come true. We talked about all of life. Things that you tell only your best friends in life were often the subject of our conversations. Then, one day, I heard Gary had to go to court. He was being sued for being the Father of a child. I asked Gary if it was his and he told me, "Do you think I would be trying to run from this if it was?" I knew GARY....One thing was for sure, he always stood for what he believed in. Then, he told me something that made my blood run cold. I will never forget his words. He said to me, "Don't do to yourself what I have done. I am 25 and my life is over.You have the rest of your life." I tried talking to him asking what he meant...but I met a wall of impasse. My friend Gary who talked deeply to me said, "Just take my word for it. I know what I am talking about. My life is over." I said, "Gary, even if they make you pay child support, your life is far from over. What are you talking about? Why are you saying these things?" Gary said, "I CAN'T say anymore...it isn't about the child support....I am boxed in from every area. Take a lesson from my life and live your life to the fullest."
I couldn't make any sense of it....The next day he went to court.... How could I have known that would be the last time I saw Gary alive? When I returned to Cosmetology school, the other students gathered with me. They told me as gently as they could what they had just learned. Gary had been murdered. A friend who had been with him playing pool the night the woman who was suing Gary said he was with her, accompanied him. They had been at this friend's Mother's that night. This Mother went with them as the driver and a witness.
The verbal reports that came back to us stated that someone managed to get inside the car and killed all three of them. They then set them in "jury style". Of course, the Police came and questioned us all. I told them of Gary's and my conversation. I don't know WHAT happened...but GARY knew what was going to happen..to at least him....probably not his friends....It was rumored that they made the Friend's Mother drive the car a distance after they had shot the two guys and then shot her.
They shot her once in the forehead, Gary's friend was shot twice and Gary was shot three times. As this story was related to me,I will never forget my friends telling me, "In the storm, you must hold your head high." Gary had been not just a colleage but a friend to all of us. The ironies of the child support case included its being dismissed for lack of evidence even though Gary did not show up. They did not know at the time WHY he had not shown up...Also, it was only a few days before his birthday. I could hear his poignant words ring in my head, "My life is over...."
I will never forget the closed casket.It was the first time in my young life that I was truly exposed to a WRONGFUL death..and I found it almost overwhelming. Their were a couple of different thoughts floating through the grapevines regarding reasons Gary was killed. One was that it was mentioned that "due to his line of work, maybe he was gay....."
When I heard that, I remember thinking, "Miss America in the pool in 'Nam'.....the woman he had loved"...and the fact that he always noticed beautiful women in a most respectful way...Well, really it didn't matter anyway...no one should be murdered in cold blood.
The other was, "The woman who was suing him had a very jealous boyfriend...and they say he was somewhat mentally disturbed....My thoughts on that were,"Maybe...maybe that was the answer.....but was it really the truth? Would anyone ever know the truth?" The night of his murder, I went outside and saw the beautiful stars....Someway, I knew Gary was there...and he was shining his love down...he was reminding me that his physical life was truly over...but mine had just begun...and that as he shone in the skies this night...his life would always
"It ended....his body changed to light,
A star that burns forever in the sky." I talked to the stars. I have never forgotten Gary. Often, I wonder if the murderer was ever found....Someday, when I am a "STAR" with him...I will know....Gary, my friend thanks for shining your light so brightly...and I know you have really just begun. THE END OF THE BEGINNING. The song I have chosen for this page, "Peaceful Easy Feeling" was at its height of popularity when Gary and I were in Cosmetology School. We often heard it playing as we went about our daily routines. Now, almost 30 years later I still think of Gary whenever I hear it.
