Henry Oakly Gack's Obituary
At age 96, after a long and well lived life, Henry Oakly Gack died peacefully in Auburn California on September 26, 2018. It was almost 100 years ago when Oakly was born in the small desert town of Casa Grande in southern Arizona. He was the fourth son of Conrad and Alice Gack. Alongside his father he worked hard improving the Arizona homestead. But he spent most of his youth growing up in San Francisco where at the time, it was not uncommon to still see horse carts among the cars and trucks.
In 1939, after surviving the Great Depression and the streets of San Francisco, he struck out to Alaska to work in the growing aviation industry, building and repairing airplanes. As the war progressed he set his tools down, joined the Navy and fought his way across the Pacific on the aircraft carrier USS Makassar Strait. He was there from Saipan to Iwo Jima and Okinawa but thankfully was able to return home when the war ended. There he met Lois Rebecca Woods, fell in love and in 1947 they married and moved to Sacramento. Together they built their dreams which included a house, four sons and a large garden and orchard (which became the second love of his life). Like his father, he kept bees to pollinate his garden as well as to enjoy their hard earned honey.
He was curious about life and was always experimenting with what he could grow in his yard, from compost piles to chickens in the yard, and even a couple of coffee trees. His curiosity didn’t stop with the yard. He always wanted to know what was just over the horizon. To that end he set out and hiked the length of California on the Pacific Crest trail. Along the way he would often take side trips to visit an unnamed meadow or to climb to the top of California’s tallest peaks, from Whitney to Shasta.
They were married for over 71 years when Lois passed away just a couple of months before Oakly. Oakly was also predeceased by his brothers, Robert, George and Ernest, and his son Timothy. He is survived by his three sons and their wives: David and Cindy, John and Peggy, and Paul and Laura, as well as Tim’s wife, Vicki. He was also blessed to have 4 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
We will miss him so much. He enriched the lives of everyone who knew him. He was our mentor and at times our comic relief, but most importantly he was Dad, Granddad and Great- Granddad. We all love him and always will.
Services will be held Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 10:00 AM at Sunset Lawn Chapel of the Chimes, 4701 Maryville Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95838.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations in Oakly’s name may be made to: The Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.
At age 96, after a long and well lived life, Henry Oakly Gack died peacefully in Auburn California on September 26, 2018. It was almost 100 years ago when Oakly was born in the small desert town of Casa Grande in southern Arizona. He was the fourth son of Conrad and Alice Gack. Alongside his father he worked hard improving the Arizona homestead. But he spent most of his youth growing up in San Francisco where at the time, it was not uncommon to still see horse carts among the cars and trucks.
In 1939, after surviving the Great Depression and the streets of San Francisco, he struck out to Alaska to work in the growing aviation industry, building and repairing airplanes. As the war progressed he set his tools down, joined the Navy and fought his way across the Pacific on the aircraft carrier USS Makassar Strait. He was there from Saipan to Iwo Jima and Okinawa but thankfully was able to return home when the war ended. There he met Lois Rebecca Woods, fell in love and in 1947 they married and moved to Sacramento. Together they built their dreams which included a house, four sons and a large garden and orchard (which became the second love of his life). Like his father, he kept bees to pollinate his garden as well as to enjoy their hard earned honey.
He was curious about life and was always experimenting with what he could grow in his yard, from compost piles to chickens in the yard, and even a couple of coffee trees. His curiosity didn’t stop with the yard. He always wanted to know what was just over the horizon. To that end he set out and hiked the length of California on the Pacific Crest trail. Along the way he would often take side trips to visit an unnamed meadow or to climb to the top of California’s tallest peaks, from Whitney to Shasta.
They were married for over 71 years when Lois passed away just a couple of months before Oakly. Oakly was also predeceased by his brothers, Robert, George and Ernest, and his son Timothy. He is survived by his three sons and their wives: David and Cindy, John and Peggy, and Paul and Laura, as well as Tim’s wife, Vicki. He was also blessed to have 4 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
We will miss him so much. He enriched the lives of everyone who knew him. He was our mentor and at times our comic relief, but most importantly he was Dad, Granddad and Great- Granddad. We all love him and always will.
Services will be held Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 10:00 AM at Sunset Lawn Chapel of the Chimes, 4701 Maryville Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95838.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations in Oakly’s name may be made to: The Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.
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