Gary D. Upson
Gary Dean Upson, beloved son, father, and brother, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 28,2021, at 10:30 am with his loving family by his side. Gary was born on June 9, 1947, in Holdrege, Nebraska to Darrell and Florence (Thompson) Upson. Gary graduated from Tawas Area High School in 1966. Gary loved riding his Harley Davidson Heritage Softail on long road trips to Florida or on local poker runs with his buddies. In recent days, he especially enjoyed having morning coffee with his nephew, Sean Martin. Gary was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing at the bay, and sitting at his cabin by the pond. Gary was a proud retiree from General Motors as a UAW member. Gary served his country for four years in the Air Force, enlisting during the Vietnam War. He was an F-4 Phantom Aircraft Mechanic at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC and the Udorn Royal Thailand Air Force Base in Udon, Thailand. He was a kind and generous friend who will be missed by many.
Gary is survived by his mother, Florence, his two sons, Chester and Brent (Brandi), grandchildren, Emily (Dale) VanNorman and Paige Wilcox. A sister, Andrea Martin (Chuck), a brother Nort (Maggie), plus nieces and nephews that include Sean Martin, Shane (Kristin) Martin, Heather (Tim) Kuzara, Emily (Eric) Liebtag, and Ryan (Melissa) Upson. He is also survived by his best friends, Ron Laponsey and David Rajewski. He was preceded in death by his father in 1982, his best friend Danny Dwyer, and his best dog, Lazer.
Funeral services were held Friday, December 3, 2021, at Lee-Ramsay Funeral Home-Pinconning Chapel with Pastor Dwight Kingsbury presiding. A Private burial will be held at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, those wishing an expression of sympathy are asked to consider a donation to the Pinconning Area Emergency Food Pantry (located at 314 Whyte Street, Pinconning, MI 48650) in Gary Upson’s name. The family would also like to extend a heartfelt “Thank You” to Addington Place of DeWitt for the compassion and care given to Gary.
Lee-Ramsay Funeral Home, Pinconning, MI, was in charge of arrangements.