Stovebolt.com Forums The Side Lot The Old Dominion Stovebolt Society (MD, VA, WV & DC) Sad news - Gary Callis passed

Gary Callis from Hollywood, MD passed away on Monday May 15th. Although he wasn't a member of Stovebolt he was a friend to many of us here and I thought you'd all like to know. He was a good friend to me and we had lots of great times together going to truck events and on road trips to bring a new project truck home.

He will be missed...

Mike B

Mike,

Thanks for posting this. I think John V will be putting out the details for funeral arrangements as soon as he gets them. I believe many of the local Bolter / BW ATHS folks will weigh in.

I remember when Gary and Sally came to their first Homecoming with some of the other BW-ATHS members. It wasn't like a BW event and those folks that were not Stovebolters seemed perplexed, amused and entertained. It was fun.

Another empty chair.

Thanks for posting Mike, he will be missed at Tristate as well. Pat66

Thanks for posting, Mike.

Gary was present at many ODSS campfires in Winchester and Gary played a huge role in several high-profile Stovebolt adventures -- Gary took me to Michigan to haul back my firetruck and he took Billy on his adventure to get the 860 project.

Although a man of few words ... but often a raised eyebrow and a smirk ... amidst the swirl of ODSS nuttiness, a better friend few of us have had. He would help any of us. All we ever had to do was ask.

Gary and I shared a love/fascination with the Martin JRM Mars flying boat. I'd stop by his office when he still worked for Dean Lumber and we'd talk for an hour just about that airplane. He had some nice pictures of it on his wall.

When he was driving a tri-axle dump for Larry Hills & Sons (in Calloway), I'd cross paths him every now and then out on Rt 5. It was fun -- we'd exchange air horn blasts or a simple wave. It was just nice to be on the road with a friend. I still check out the Hills trucks looking for Gary. Probably will for a while ... It will be a lonelier road out there without him.

But like Mike R said, he's back with Miss Sally now.

RIP Gary. I'm sorry I wasn't as good a friend to you as you were to me.

I didn’t have the honor to meet Gary. But I’ve had the honor to know people like him. Sounds like a person that always gave you his complete undivided attention when speaking with him and willing to drop everything he was doing to help you; always putting others first.

People like Gary become a part of our hearts-and never really leave us. Gary may not be Resting, but sounds like he’s definitely In Peace!

Like Victor said, I never met Gary, but it sounds like he was a selfless man.
Something many of us should strive to be better at.
I'll bet he wasn't even aware of the fact that he was indeed selfless.
That is the essence of selflessness.
A truly selfless person does not wake up in the morning and say, "I think that I will do something selfless today."
That statement would let all of the air out of true selflessness.
A selfless person just is.

I knew Gary and his family very well. His property and my parents property adjoined each other and in fact my father purchased property from Gary"s grandfather. Gary's father was our mailman when I was growing up. I worked with Gary's mother at the A&P Food Stores before I went to work for the government and in fact, he was a year behind me in high school also. Gary and his entire family were great people. Rest in peace Gary, You were an asset to all that met you.

Got a few email updates on services for Gary.

Here's the spot [brinsfieldfuneral.com] for his obit. It's not up yet tho. The page also has the details about visitation, etc.

This is from Jesse Walter:

John Vanatta had some other info:


I saw
Graveside Service with Military Honors
44345 Joy Chapel Road, Hollywood, MD

Here's a second thread about Trish's request for old trucks for the funeral. (In case you missed that.)

Gary Callis was a special person, always there to lend a hand or offer what ever he had for a recovery mission. A prime example of that would be the in the story John Milliman wrote about the experience he and Gary had picking up an old fire truck for John. I don’t see it now but maybe John will post it up. Gary did the same for me in offering his help to retrieve my ’59 GMC 860. My trip had a whole lot less drama and excitement than John’s trip…thankfully. The truck I bought was basically a cab and chassis with parts from 3 other trucks. We hopped in Gary’s “59 Reo with trailer in tow very early one morning towards the end of winter in 2010 headed and for the West VA/Ohio line. We had some challenges getting the truck on the trailer and all the parts packed away but made the trip there and back without a hiccup. I do recall hardly passing a Cracker Barrel that we didn’t stop at, a favorite of Gary’s. It was a trip I will never forget in that cramped but “cozy” cab, listening to Gary’s stories and watching him run through the gears in the Reo. Gary was very supportive of my GMC project always asking for and update or asking when it would be driving. I will always feel indebted to him for helping me get my truck home and all the advice he gave me. I’m sure there are countless stories like this of Gary quickly and generously offering his help. I can definitely say that I never attended an ATHS or ATCA truck show that Gary wasn’t there.
He's back with Sally, enjoying some, "tea and toast".
Rest in Peace.