Gary Kenneth Allison was born July 26, 1939, at home in Delburne, Alberta. His family soon moved to Red Deer and settled in the Parkvale district where the adventures began.
There are so many stories of mischief from his early years - one in particular - where he and some buddies crawled through the pitch black storm pipe from the top of Michener Hill and emerged at the bottom at Waskasoo Creek is the stuff of any mother's nightmares. Gary was always ready for adventure and his inquisitive mind served him throughout his lifetime.
There was nothing he couldn't fix or figure out. No task was too big. The complete dissembling and restoration of his 1966 Dodge four door with his son Joe is a testament to his cataloging skills and perseverance. The single leftover part was vexing....until it was found to belong to a Ford product - you know who you are! He truly enjoyed his years as an electrician, particularly when he could merely flip a switch or breaker to fix a problem.
Gary and his wife, Lois Koski, met at what would become Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School and they were married in 1959, daughter Susan and son Joseph soon followed. Gary was a hard worker and spent many many years in construction in the Red Deer area. Among his many talents he was an able carpenter, plumber, painter and master electrician - retiring as President of Cunningham Electric in 2008-09.
Gary's hobbies were numerous, whether he was on a motorcycle ride with his buddies, camping or flying his RC planes fun was always to be had.
Gary was predeceased by his parents, Kenneth and Francis Allison, in-laws Ernie and May Koski, brother-in-law Albert Schatzke, and wife Lois (2016). He is survived by his friend Lily Labelle of Red Deer, children Susan (Jim) of Sylvan Lake; son Joe (Juanita) of Red Deer; grandchildren Lindsay, Lauren, Danielle, Darcy and great grandsons Jackson and Tyson. He will be missed by his sisters Diane Schatzke and Linda Wood (Bob), sister-in-law Linda Marasco (Frank), numerous nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews, as well as many lifelong partners in crime.
Special thanks to Dr. Viljoen, the palliative care team of Lynn and Darlene; and Jackie from Compassion Care.
Gary was very clear there was to be no gathering to celebrate his life and passing, as he would not be party to a second wave of Covid 19. He will be cremated and laid to rest with Lois at Alto Reste Cemetery at a future date.