Gary W. Wilks

Some men you just can't help but look up to, immediately respect, and want to follow. Gary Wilks was such a man, a natural leader to those around him, a tower of strength for all to lean on in times of need. Gary was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend, but more than anything, he was someone you always knew you could count on. The year was 1942, and around the world, our great nation was waging war against the forces of tyranny, as the dark skies of World War II engulfed the entire globe. Here on these shores of Lake Michigan, exactly 55 weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor forever changed our world, the Wilks family found reason to celebrate, and to have faith that life would get better. On December 28, 1942, a cold, wintry Monday in Muskegon, Michigan, Lester W. and Mary M. (Tanswell) Wilks welcomed their first child into this uncertain world, a blessed baby son, who they named Gary. Soon young Gary would be joined by little brother Keith, sister Jan, and baby brother Jim, filling out the Wilks family with plenty of energy and laughter. The Wilks were a military family, of Polish and German descent, so much of Gary's youth was spent traveling the world, whether it was Japan, Denmark, California or the Upper Peninsula. Wherever they went, Gary and his siblings found ways to enjoy their youth. Gary fondly remembered his time in Denmark, where he would run through the rolling fields, usually chasing his sister, as always. Gary might have had an unusual childhood, but he was very much a typical boy, and loved BB guns, bows and arrows, and getting into whatever mischief he could find. One legendary family story was of Gary and his brother Keith gathering up the bed sheets and leaping off the second-story balcony of their home in Denmark, plummeting to the earth like those paratroopers they so admired. The "Greatest Generation" before Gary most certainly inspired him, as did his military upbringing, leaving an indelible imprint on the man he became. Gary was your typical teenager, though. He loved cars, riding motorcycles, and the popular do-wop music of the 1950s. But unlike many teenagers, Gary had a clear vision of what he wanted to do with his life. So when he turned 17, Gary and his friend Terry Hall up and joined the Navy. With the Cold War reaching its peak, Gary would soon be deployed to the Caribbean Sea, to help ward off perhaps the greatest threat this country has ever known, the event called the Cuban Missile Crisis. His sister Jan was very upset when her beloved older brother was called to action, but it's not too farfetched to say the efforts of brave men like Gary over those critical 13 days from October 16-28, 1962 might have just saved the world from a nuclear holocaust. Gary received the U.S. Navy Armed Forces Expeditionary (Cuba) National Defense Service Medal for his efforts, while the rest of the country got to sleep a lot easier at night. When Gary was discharged from the Navy, he took a job at Sealed Power for awhile, followed by a career in law enforcement. Gary worked at the City of Roosevelt Park Police Department, the City of Muskegon Heights Police Department, and the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department. After many years, Gary went to work as a supervisor, first at Clarke Floor Machine and later at Howmet Corporation. But law enforcement was where Gary truly belonged, so he finished his career as an emergency dispatcher with Ottawa County Central Dispatch, retiring in 1999. He loved his work as a police officer and dispatcher, and found it such a rewarding career. Not that his other jobs over the years didn't have their benefits, mind you. While he was working at Sealed Power back in 1966, he was lucky enough to meet a beautiful woman named Sharon Hittle, and the two hit it off. Gary and Sharon married the next year, on September 9, 1967, the beginning of a wonderful life together. The newlyweds were blessed with two terrific sons, Gary Jr. and Robert, who sadly died in 2002. He also formed a special bond with Karna Postoor, whom he called his daughter, to her delight. Anyone would feel lucky to have Gary as a father, though. He loved his boys dearly, and enjoyed coaching their youth football teams with his brother Keith. He was also an avid hunter, of course, and loved to take the boys hunting with his brothers and nephews to their annual deer camp. He loved those times, everything about them, from playing cards the night before, to anxiously awaiting the dawning November light. And when his grandchildren arrived, he enjoyed sharing his love of hunting and fishing with them so much. Oh, how Gary loved his grandsons, Seth and Brendan, who were truly his greatest joys. He was so proud to have a grandson, he once backed his golf cart into a creek after learning that Seth would be a boy, and not a girl as everyone thought he would be! Of course, Gary could only laugh at that mishap. He had a great sense of humor, and an amazingly positive outlook about life, no matter the circumstances. When his younger brother Jim died in 1998, and his brother Keith died in 2004, Gary was there to steady his family. And when his son Rob died unexpectedly in 2002, Gary was the rock in the family, even as his inner turmoil over the loss seemed unbearable to him. When his beloved Sharon fell ill the past two years with her illness, Gary remained so strong, so positive, so devoted to her. But that was Gary, when times were tough, when people needed him most, he was always at his strongest, reassuring them with that distinctive, booming voice of authority. When Gary told you things would be OK, you couldn't help but believe him - and believe in him, too. "Dad was a strong, tough person that I greatly respected," his son Gary Jr. said. "I couldn't have asked for anyone better, and I'm going to miss him." Gary Wilks will be so missed, for his leadership, for his example, and for his strength. His strength lives on today, in the hearts of all who knew him. SURVIVORS: Wife, Sharon; 1 son, Gary (Michelle) Wilks, Jr. of Muskegon; 2 grandsons, Seth & Brendan Wilks; 1 sister, Janice (James) Hanson of Siloam Springs, AR; mother-in-law, Geneva Hittle of Muskegon; 2 sisters-in law, Anita Wilks of Muskegon & Mary Beth ( Gregory) Liskey of Muskegon; "special daughter", Karna (Marc) Pastoor of Montague; several nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; 1 son, Rob; 2 brothers, Jim "Rhino" Wilks & Keith Wilks; father-in-law, Lester Hittle. SERVICE: Wednesday, March 22, 2006, 11 a.m., at the Clock Chapel with Pastor Sarah Samuelson officiating. Interment at St. Mary's Cemetery. VISITATION: Tuesday, 2-4 & 6-8 p.m., at the Clock Funeral Home.