Gary Lee Kultala

It’s with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved father, Gary Lee Kultala, who left us on May 10, 2025 at the age of 76. Surrounded by his three loving children, Kris, Katie & Kerri in his final moments, he was a man of determination and strength and was “working” his job at Pence from his hospital bed up until the very end.

Gary was known for his love of golf. He loved to travel, especially to Maui, and always loved to share a good sunset. Gary was a talented artist and could build just about anything from a window bench, all the way up to a multimillion dollar building. He loved music; he always going to concerts and stayed caught up on current artists. He could also play the guitar, and was in a band in his youth. Gary has always enjoyed anything outdoors; hiking, camping, floating a river, snowshoeing, snow skiing, dirt bike riding and waterskiing in his youth. He played all the sports, but our favorite to cheer him on in was basketball. Our dad was fun for all the holidays and took us on a lot of fun trips from the beach to Disneyland. His favorite treat to enjoy was a good root beer float and made the best banana bread.

In 2020, Gary survived a bicuspid aortic valve aneurysm surgery, and was in the ICU on life support in a coma. The surgeon only gave him a 12% chance of survival. Gary’s Finnish roots gave him Sisu strength and he miraculously pulled through! Gary was diagnosed a few years later with a rare appendix cancer. Sadly, his cancer came back and took him quicker than any of us had prepared for. His pride for his family and grandchildren and unwavering devotion to his job will forever be remembered.

He is survived by his three kids, Kris Kultala, Katie Benson and Kerri Kultala; Kerri’s fiancé, James Tindall; Gary’s girlfriend, Kelly Cook; and 7 grandchildren, Hunter, Hayden, Hailey and Hudson Benson, and Jackson, Parker and Brooklyn Kultala. His loving family will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest. We welcome all who knew him to join us in celebrating the life of a man who was loved deeply and will be missed.