"Sam & Family",I'm so very sorry for your loss.My Thoughts & Prayers Sam for you and your whole family during this time of sorrow. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help at this time.

Sam and family - I am so sorry for your loss. Gary was a great, gentle person. He was always fun to joke with and will be missed dearly. God bless your whole family.

Gary always made me feel welcome and special.  He knew who I was simply because he knew my dad and uncles growing up.  He leaves an awesome family.  Sam and Mary are kind, generous spirited people, and Leona - is such a special mother and wife.  Our prayers are with them during this difficult time. RIP Gary.

Gary and Leona, two of the finest human beings I have had the privilede and honor to know and to call my friends. May God bless and keep you and your family at this time of great loss. Gary was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.

PRAYERS TO THE WHOLE SLEISTER FAMILY.  Gary and Leona were my father and step moms best neighbors in Groveland.They had cookouts and were great friends.  My wife and I got to know Gary,Leona Mary and Sam as we too were neighbors.  My nieces and nephew Jessica Eva,and Israel would play together with their kids. Gary told my wife of 34 years that she was getting a GEM of a husband. I try to live up to that Great comment today and many more years. Gary and Leona even helped us get into their Old Wonderful Remodeled House in Groveland which today we still live in. Gary made us a great offer because He loved my father Lester Staker.  He knew my Brother Rodney as they played Army together  army reserves.I still have memories of our great friends.  Gary will Be missed but not forgotten..  Live for Jesus and I believe we will be reunited in Heaven with Gary and many more before us.  So glad to have known Gary and his stories of happy LIFE.  Rickey and Conni Staker  Groveland Il.

Sam & Family,
So sorry to hear of your loss. Gary was a pleasure to work with here on the Rock. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Dixon 
Rock Island Arsenal

My deepest sympathies to the entire Sleister family.  I had the opportunity to work with Gary thru CPI.  He had such a gentle way about him… he was such a pleasure to work with.  I always enjoyed talking with Gary.  He had great stories.  I will miss hearing his voice and seeing his smiling face.  May he rest in peace.

I was deeply saddened when i found out that uncle gary had passed , our thoughts and prayers go out to aunt leona and marry and her family and sam. My you always rember all the good times and the laughs you shared , god bless the whole family , and god speed uncle gary.

Mary & Family, Our deepest sympathy to you and your family. May good memories comfort you during this difficult time.

So very sorry to hear of Gary's passing...we just talked here at the restaurant not even two weeks ago...always loved seeing Gary and family coming in the door...He will be missed

Stephanie, Nick, Brooke and the staff of Bernardi's in Washington

Leona, so sorry for your loss of Gary, our prayers our with you. Lesley

Words cannot express how sad I am for Leona, Sam, Mary and the grandkids. Gary was a great husband, father and grandpa. My heart is broken for the loss that Leona, Sam, Mary and his grandchildren are now feeling. Gary was also a great friend and mentor - and to me he was both. I started working with Gary in 1975 and he and I spent many, many days together. Gary made me laugh more than any other person I have ever known in my life; Gary had the greatest sense of humor of any friend I have ever known. The world is an emptier place without Gary and he will be missed by many including me.
 
Sincerely,
Jim Jacobs

May the love of friends and family carry you through your grief.

To all of Gary's family...I'm from Canton and met Gary back in 2009, I believe.  He was Core's site superintendent for the new Cook Medical facility in Canton.  Canton has a cable TV government/public access channel.  I've helped with video projects for that channel for several years.  We asked the Cook folks if we could do a series of programs chronicling the progress of the facility from start to finish.  Cook was all for it.  That's how I met Gary.  He was the "star of the show" from start to finish!  Every month or so for more than a year during the construction process, we'd meet with Gary and I'd do interviews with him as we walked around the worksite.  He really had a knack for being able to put things into words so even those viewers with no construction knowledge could understand what was going on.  He made it interesting, too.  In particular I remember one of the early programs when the steel superstructure was going up.  He explained how a certain type of bolt used on the steelwork made the building solid throughout.  Only Gary could make something like that fun to watch!  

When the project was done, I gave Gary DVD copies of the entire series of programs.  If you don't have those and would like a copy, please let me know.  I'll be glad to make them for you.

I looked at Gary as a friend.  I saw him a time or two after the series was over.  It was always good to see him again.

Gary was one of the "good guys".  All of you have my sympathy.

OBITUARY

Gary Sleister

28 August, 1950 – 17 November, 2013

Remmert Funeral Home

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