William H. “Bill” Gary Jr., 79

William H. “Bill” Gary Jr., 79, of the rural Toledo/Garwin area, died Wednesday, Janury 25, 2012, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, of cancer. Funeral services were held Monday, January 30, 2012, at the United Methodist Church in Garwin. Burial was in Crystal Cemetery in rual Toledo, Iowa. A memorial fund has been established. Overton Funeral Home, Garwin, was in charge of the arrangements. Condolences may be left at www.overtonservice.com. William Henry Gary Jr. was born November 21, 1932 on a farm north of Toledo, IA, son of William H Sr. and Lola (Chally) Gary. He started country school and later graduated from Toledo High School in 1950. Bill continued his education at Iowa State University in Ames with a degree in Animal Husbandry.  While in college he joined the ROTC and later entered as an officer in the United States Air Force. He served during the Korean War and was an air traffic controller at Red Cliff, St. John’s, New Foundland.  After his discharge he returned to farming with his father and on August 7, 1960 he was united in marriage to Rebecca Olson in Albert Lea, MN. Bill and Becky made their home in Toledo for a time before moving to a farm north of Toledo in 1967. He retired from farming in 2000 but remained on the farm even after Becky’s death on April 14, 2009. Recently Bill has been fighting a battle with cancer and his death came at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City at the age of 79 years. He was an active member of the Garwin United Methodist Church where he served on various boards and committees and was an active member of the church choir. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Becky and a half brother Bill. He is survived by two children, William (Melissa) Gary III of Hammond, WI and Carol (Jeff) Meyer of Toledo, IA, four grandchildren Sierra, Dakotah, Krysta and Paige, and one sister Celia (Wayne) Mathern of Richmond, VA.