Gary Eugene Willis

Gary Eugene Willis, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away at his home on November 2, 2024, while with his wife Emily. Born on October 14, 1951, to loving parents, Jack L. and Betty Jane Willis, Gary was the eldest of four children. He grew up with his siblings, Larry, Barry, and Sherri. Their family loved and took good care of each other with a healthy dose of teasing and fun. His lifelong sweet tooth started early with his mother’s wonderful baking and candy making skills. 

Gary met his forever sweetheart, Emily, at Ricks College. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and raised three children; Daniel, Joshua, and Melanie. Emily took good care of Gary and loved to make his favorite foods. 

Gary had many trades including bricklayer, restaurant owner, and car salesman. He worked tirelessly to provide for his family.

Gary was a dedicated family man who loved to play card games, go fishing and hunting and later in life enjoyed cooking for his family. When his kids were married and had kids of their own he shared his love of treats with his grandkids. He also enjoyed teaching them funny rhymes and songs. Gary was known for his kind and generous nature and was a gifted storyteller. He had a unique ability to connect with people and took interest in hearing the stories of others as well. He was generous and hard-working, and often took the less-than-glamorous jobs in his ward like arranging blood drives or neighborhood clean-ups. He was also the High Priest Group Leader, a Sunday School teacher, a Service Missionary and served in the Young Men’s organization.

Gary is loved and missed by many including his wife Emily, his siblings Larry (Andrea), Barry (Kathy), Sherri (Mike) his children Daniel (Maly), Joshua (Janelle), and Melanie (Dave) and their twelve grandchildren. The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to all who have helped care for him in the last five years as his health declined. 

Friends and family are invited to an open house celebration of life gathering November 11th, 6:30 - 8:00pm at the church building located at 498 E Hollow Creek (14085 South) Draper, UT 84020. In addition, the family will have a graveside service on November 12th, at 11:00am at Memorial Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 East Bengal Blvd, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121 followed by a luncheon at the same church building listed above.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Huntsman Cancer Institute.

https://give.huntsmancancer.org/page/67433/donate/1