Gary George Sladek MD

Dr. Sladek was born on September 4, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, grew up on the South Side, and attended Illinois Benedictine College and Loyola Medical School. He passed away December 5, 2024 in Orlando, FL.

He served over 30 years in the U.S. Navy as a physician, including specializing in family practice/internal medicine and hematology/oncology, and retired in 2007 as a Captain. Service postings domestically included Orlando (FL), Bethesda Naval Hospital (MD), Groton (CT), and Great Lakes (IL) and overseas included Okinawa, England, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He went on to work at the VA Hospital in North Chicago before retiring to Florida in 2020. His bedside manner was unrivaled; he loved the practice of medicine, his patients, and his co-workers – and they loved him.

He was a devoted husband, father, and son, and a devout Catholic who loved and lived his Catholic faith. He was an avid reader who read everything … fiction, non-fiction, novels, history, biographies, news, periodicals, and every journal he could acquire. He loved learning! He enjoyed walking until his health prohibited it, and actively watched Jeopardy every evening, giving contestants a run for their money. He enjoyed a good joke, and was a master of producing groan-inducing puns on demand.

He is preceded in death by his parents, George Francis and Mary Ann Sladek. He is survived by his loving wife of almost 47 years, Sheila (Campbell); his children, Paul Sladek (Megan) of Oviedo, FL and Jennifer Rosato (Drew) of Santa Paula, CA; grandchildren, Charlotte, Carson, and Aaron Sladek, and Anthony, Francis, Catherine, Helena, Gregory, and Teresa Rosato; and four brothers-in-law, one sister-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home, 501 E. Mitchell Hammock Rd., Oviedo, FL 32765. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at noon on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, 113 Lockwood Blvd., Oviedo, FL 32765 with interment to immediately follow the Mass at Queen of Angels Cemetery, 1901 Queen of Angels Dr., Winter Park, FL 32792.

In lieu of flowers, as an expression of sympathy, the family welcomes donations to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago. To donate, go to donate.mercyhome.org or call (877) 637-2955.