Gary Lee Roe

Gary Lee Roe, age 86, passed away on August 9, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was born January 15, 1940, in Stafford, Kansas, to Frederick William Roe and Elsie Irene Newby. He was married to Darlene Kathy Gallegos in 1962, but they later divorced and stayed friends throughout his life.

Gary loved lifting weights and bought his first weight set when he was 14 through mail order. He had to pick it up at the post office and carry it home on a bus. He was a wrestler in high school and was voted most likely to succeed. He had wanted to go into professional wrestling, but he injured his back and was unable to pursue that career. Even in his later years, he still enjoyed exercising even though he had arthritis. He would do chair tai chi and lift dumbbells.

Gary joined the Marines at age 17 and entered when he was 18. He was trained as an airplane mechanic and was later stationed on two aircraft carriers, the Coral Sea and the Ticonderoga.

Gary became a plumber after marrying Darlene and worked at King Sano Plumbing in South Gate, California, where they trained him as an apprentice. He also went to school for court reporting and took various college courses.

He loved to read - metaphysical books and fiction books, and in his later years, he enjoyed watching K-dramas and foreign movies on Netflix and Viki. One of his favorite movies was Avatar. He also loved talking about aliens and UFOs, and he had always wanted to visit Mt. Shasta. He liked riding motorcycles when he was younger, and he loved looking at cars in his later years.

Gary is survived by his three daughters: Roxann Roe, Cassandra Ghirardi, and Kathy Stenberg,

grandchildren: Sharifa Wahlstrom (Richard), Sami Roe (Mckensey), Mariam Roe, Nick Ghirardi, Mariah Ghirardi, Alexandra Wilde, Trevor Stenberg, Shannon Stenberg, and Shelby Stenberg

Great-grandchildren: Gavin Pehrson, Amir and Micah Wahlstrom, Nadria Roe, Harlan Wilde, Jaxxen and Jayce Smith, Hunter Faylor Stenberg, and Wyatt Dummer.

He is also survived by his ex-wife, Darlene Gallegos, and brothers Larry Roe, Dennis Roe, and Mike Roe (Deenie), and his friends Larry Anderson and John Fryer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his Beloved chihuahua Nemo, and his cat Sauskay, along with other animals the family had over the years.