Gary Allen Lauden was born on December 21, 1944, in Salem, NJ. He passed away peacefully on April 12, 2024, at the age of 79, surrounded by his family.

Gary is the son of Edward James Lauden and Agnes Elizabeth Lauden. Although originally from New Jersey, Gary's upbringing primarily took place in and around Cocoa Beach, FL, as his father's job with RCA transferred them to Cape Kennedy in the early 1950s at the height of space exploration. As a result, Gary grew up watching rocket launches, loving the ocean, surfing whenever possible and racing his sunfish- the first of his many boats. Gary graduated from Cocoa High School in 1963, attended Florida State University and began his career in telecommunications with RCA.

In January of 1966, while in the RCA break room, Gary met the love of his life, Jody Garrison. Jody was smitten by his corduroy suit and big brown eyes. They were married on December 31, 1966. It was a deep and meaningful love from first sight to his final breath.

Gary joined the army in 1967, where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Gary was always proud of serving his country.  Following his tour in Germany, he returned to RCA in Florida where he worked as a programmer specializing in coding. Gary received his bachelor's degree in business from Central Florida University.

Gary and Jody welcomed their first child, John Edward, in 1968. Son Patrick Joseph was born in 1978, followed by daughter Kathleen Elizabeth in 1982. In 1982, Gary's work took the family to Cary, NC. In 1988, they moved to McKinney, TX, where he and the family made many memories, enjoyed life-long friendships and Gary continued his career success - including being awarded a patent in 2007 for his work in Radio Frequency and Biometric Identification Systems. In 2022, Gary and Jody built a home in Montgomery, TX, where they continued to enjoy their life together.

Gary loved spending time with his family and friends, whether cruising on the waters of Lake Texoma or shooting for par on the golf course. When driving around McKinney, Gary was always easy to spot in his burnt orange Corvette- but being the Aggie fan he was, he preferred to call it "atomic orange" and personalized his license plate with "Not UT". He enjoyed fixing and building things, either at his grown children's homes or at the cabin he and Jody shared outside of Corsicana. Always one who loved the beach, Gary's favorite trips were to Gulf Shores, AL, where he'd spend hours setting up shade tents on the sand for his family, complete with misters, fans, coolers, and chairs. Whether on family trips or bringing Jody her morning coffee each day, serving others was his love language, and nothing made him happier than to love others in his quiet, kind, and steady way.

Gary is preceded in death by his father, Edward James Lauden, his mother, Agnes Elizabeth Lauden, and his brother, Father Edward James Lauden, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Joann Garrison Lauden, son John Edward Lauden (wife Bretta), son Patrick Joseph Lauden (wife Lori), daughter Kathleen Lauden Brown (husband James), and his 8 grandchildren: Zachary Lauden, Jacob Lauden, Caroline Lauden, Julia Lauden, Deacon Lauden, Harrison Brown, Shepherd Brown and Annette Brown.

The family would like to thank the army of caregivers and loving supporters who walked the journey of Dementia alongside us every day.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at 11:00 am at First United Methodist Church in McKinney, TX. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association: act.alz.org