From an email from Dick Foster, FUHS '53:
I am very sorry to have to report another death in the Class of '53 family, My old pal Gary Minnis died Tuesday night after a long battle with several problems. He was in a care facility in his hometown of Templeton, CA and his wife Melinda was with him when he passed away.
Gary was the youngest member of our high school class, as far as we know. He had a fairly severe stroke back in January. He lost most of the muscle control on his left side, and he never made it out of some kind of care facility except for a brief couple of days about six weeks after the stroke. He had been doing lots of physical therapy, and decided that he could manage at home, but he took a fall after only two days, and Melinda was unable to get him up again, so the paramedics took him to a full-nursing-care facility near their home. He never made it out again.
Cynthia and I visited him shortly after that episode. He was still trying to do physical therapy, but couldn't really operate out of bed for more than brief periods, and then only with an attendant helping. Everything just seemed to go down hill after that, and he pretty much just gave up a couple of days before he died. I don't know the actual cause of death.
There will not be a funeral or other religious service; Gary just wasn't a religious person. Melinda is having a celebration of his life at 11:00AM on Saturday, August 12 at Peachy Canyon Winery in Templeton/Paso Robles. She has asked me to speak, and Cynthia and I will be going up.
Gary was a very interesting guy. He was the former U.S. Vice President for sales and marketing of the French company L'Aire Liquide, which does business here as Liquid Air Products. He made himself the world's leading expert on the use of gases (Nitrogen, Oxygen, Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfurous Acid - not a gas, but easier to use) in the wine industry. He bought a couple of operations from Liquid Air Products in Sonoma County and Mendocino County, from which he built a multi-million dollar operation servicing the wine industry throughout the West. He was probably one of our most successful classmates.
I have called several close friends, but would like to get the word out wider. Please feel free to forward this to any classmates.
Dick Foster
SECOND E-MAIL
Melinda hasn't identified any causes for memorial donations, and flowers probably aren't needed for the sort of party she plans for August 12. If anyone wants to send a condolence card, his wife's address is:
Melinda Minnis
1424 Brambles Court
Templeton, CA 93465
