Gary Louis Stauffer, 87, of Chandler, Ariz., passed away peacefully on April 13 of this year. Gary was born in Omaha, Neb., to Frank L and Cleota Grace (Correll) Funk. After his parent’s divorce, he moved with his mom and two sisters, Betty (Funk) Hilleren and Jean (Funk) Keller, to St. John, Kan., where Cleo married Emmett Stauffer. They added three more children, Michael Stauffer, Byron Stauffer and Sharon (Stauffer) Bowman to the family.
Gary served in the Army for a short period, before marrying Linda Lou Johnson in 1959. Together they raised two children, Gerald Lee Stauffer and Larisa Lynn (Stauffer) Schmidt, in Pratt. Gary was a self-employed construction engineer, providing essential services to Pratt and surrounding communities. An avid reader and traveler, Gary shared his love of life and adventure with his family through many fondly remembered family trips.
He is survived only by his brother, Michael, and daughter, Larisa.
The graveside service will be held at 1:30 pm, June 28 at the Greenlawn Cemetery in Pratt. An informal gathering and celebration of Gary’s life will be held in St. John afterwards.