Gary M. Strock, Sr.

Wonderful Husband and Father

My husband, Gary, suffered an intracerebral hemmorage on December 9, 2010. After extensive testing, it was determined that he was not going to recover. He was declared brain dead on December 10, 2010. At that time, the hospital staff came to me and my three children (23, 19 and 17), and told us Gary had declared his wishes to be an organ donor when he renewed his driver’s license. We agreed to donate his organs and tissue. We had just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in October of that year. Gary, being a union carpenter, had, like many of the trades, been laid off for quite a while. When I asked him what we were going to do to celebrate that anniversary, he said we would wait until times were better. He didn’t want it to be a”long” winter due to finances. Well, that turned out to be the longest winter of my and my kids lives. He was, and always will be, the love of my life. He was an awsome Dad who was very involved with the kids sports. When we found out that two women had benefited from his corneas, it was bittersweet. I am so happy for someone to be able to see the world the way he did, yet so sad for his time to see the world to have come to an end. I just hope the women who received his corneas can see all the good that Gary always saw in people. I also encourage people to live life to the fullest. Don’t wait for a better time, it may not come.