Gary Wayne Wyatt

Gary Wayne Wyatt, son of the late Hewlie and Bessie (Reed) Wyatt, was born August 2, 1935, in Jewell County, Kansas, and departed this life October 20, 2017, in Springfield, Missouri. He was 82 years, 2 months, and 18 days of age.

Gary attended school in Superior, Nebraska, and graduated from Superior High School in 1953. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1956, and served his country for two years. While he was in the Navy, Gary met Viola Maxine Howe and they were united in marriage June 27, 1959, in Superior, Nebraska. Three children were born to this union: Clinton, Kurt, and Sheryl.

Early in his career, Gary worked in road construction in Kansas. In 1960, they moved to Denver, Colorado, where he worked as a custodian in the Denver School System for 30 years, retiring in 1990. Gary and Viola moved to Mountain Grove, Missouri, in 1997, where they enjoyed the comfort and security of the small town life.

Family was very important in Gary’s life, and they always enjoyed traveling as much as they could to visit their children and grandchildren. They also enjoyed visiting other places along their journeys, and fully enjoyed their retirement. He enjoyed working in his yard and tinkering. He was always one to watch out for his neighbors, and he would check on them if he hadn’t seen them outside. From the time that he was a young boy and throughout his entire life, he would always help his neighbors and friends in any way that he could, and never asked for anything in return. Gary was a wonderful and caring husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, neighbor, and friend.

Besides his parents, Gary was preceded in death by an infant son, Clinton Wayne Wyatt in 1960, and by his brother, Billie Wyatt.

He is survived by his loving wife, Viola Wyatt, of Mountain Grove, Missouri, his son, Kurt Wyatt and his wife, Dana, of Elkhart, Indiana, his daughter, Sheryl Schwartz of Vancouver, Washington, four grandchildren, Amber Lynn (Wyatt) Corona, Briana Marie (Wyatt) Calhoun, Samantha Kay (Schwartz) Ravenberg, and Nicholas James Wyatt Schwartz, three step-grandchildren, Amanda Reyes, Jordan Reyes, and Branson Gonzales, two great-grandchildren, Laina Marie Corona and Aurora Michele Ravenberg, one sister, Lucy Beth Willson of Louisberg, Kansas, many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews who will miss him dearly.