Gary was the captain of many pool teams and was a father for everyone he knew.  He was known for his never-ending stories, his jaw-dropping precision shots on the pool table, and his mentorship both in and outside of the game.

There are so, so many words to describe Gary, but I wanted to extract three from my heart:

1. Passionate: Gary wanted to win, but he also wanted to have fun.  Fun usually was more important than winning.  If he wasn’t pulling a prank, he was making a joke – his laugh was contagious, but his smile was heart-grabbing.

2. Heartfelt: Gary saw the best in people and always wanted the best for his friends and family.  As a captain, when the game was on the line, he would always want to make sure everyone had a chance to play. He always put himself last and others first.

3. Strong: This was felt in his handshake, in his steadiness, and after every accident that caused him bodily harm (like landing upside down in a sandrail and compressing his spine and his coal mine accident).  He always got up and kept going.

Gary’s eternal souvenirs are plentiful.

His shouts of “you dirty son of a bitch” after you play a defensive shot on him, his facial expressions always told you what was on his mind. He reminds me of how I’ll be when I’m older, but I have a lot to learn until then.

The most profound learning from Gary was when he called a timeout at the Southwest Challenge in Las Vegas with Tashana, walked up to the table, picked up the q-ball, and committed a foul as a coach, giving the opponent ball-in-hand.  I will never forget the look on his face, and I will never, ever pickup a q-ball during a timeout unless I’m sure I can.

I am thankful to have these memories of Gary, and I am eternally grateful to Tashana and Moses for introducing me to this great man, a winner at life.