Obituary for Gary E. Dadey

Gary E. Dadey, 77 of Grand Island passed away at his home on Wednesday, February 8, 2017.Services are pending.Gary was born on October 16, 1939 at the family farm near Phillips, son of Harold and Johanna (Larson) Dadey. Gary is survived by his wife, Marla of Grand Island; children, Vicki Torres of Loveland, CO, Kelle Dadey of Spokane, WA, Lori Myers of Grand Island, Jeffrey Dadey of Grand Island; step-children, Scott (Robin) Bennett of Kearney, Kent Bennett of Grand Island, Brenda (Marty) Butcher of Lincoln, and Barbra (Jesse) Hernandez of Greenville, NC; sisters Marilyn Lahowetz and Norma Perkins-Bailey both of Grand Island; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; 10 step-grandchildren; one step-great-grandchild; along with numerous extended family, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Lois Miller and beloved hunting dog, Bear. Gary was raised on the family farm near Phillips, where he grew to love the outdoors. He graduated from Phillips High School in 1957 and promptly enlisted in the Navy. Gary was stationed in Alameda, CA, as an aircraft electrician until he received his honorable discharge in 1961. For many years Gary was employed as a construction supervisor, building both residential and commercial buildings. On August 17, 1996 he was united in marriage to Marla Bailey at Ft. Bridger, WY. With this union, Gary was blessed with two step-sons and two step-daughters. The couple made their home in Rock Springs, WY, where they managed two hotels. They then settled in Mechanicsburg, PA until returning to Nebraska in 2005 to be near family. While living in Grand Island, Gary was employed by West Ridge Middle School as their custodian until his retirement in August 2016. His jovial personality made him a friend to many. He enjoyed his Wednesday morning coffee group at Pam's Pub and Grub. Gary loved the outdoors and the mountains in Wyoming, a favorite place for him to go camping and hunting with his family. In recent years he made the trip to Canada where he successfully went bear hunting. Every deer season would bring home jerky and deer sticks to share with friends and family. He was an avid Husker fan. Gary followed all sports and knew all of the statistics of all the player and teams. He was a loving husband, father, step-father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle. Memorials are suggested to the family to be designated at a later date.