Gary spent his childhood primarily in Childress, TX where he attended school through the 8th grade. He moved back to Ft Worth and attended Eastern Hills High School and was active in the Sagamore Hill Baptist Church youth group. Gary attended college at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX, and graduated with a degree in Psychology. In 1965, he met Grace Toombs of Abilene, Texas at a Baptist retreat in Glorietta, New Mexico. Grace quickly became the love of his life and they married in Abilene in 1966.
Gary served in the US Army in the 25th Infantry Division that included a tour of duty in 1968 in the Vietnam War as a First Lieutenant. He received two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart among other distinctions for his service. Upon his discharge from active duty, Gary and Grace moved to Dallas and soon thereafter opened a music store selling and refinishing pianos and organs that would be a continuation of three generations of the McBrayer family in the piano business. They raised three children, Jeff, Jennifer, and Julie.
Gary is predeceased by his parents and his sister Judy. Left to cherish Gary’s memory are his wife Grace, brothers Bryan and wife Nancy of Ft Worth and Allan and wife Sarah of Houston; his sister-in-law Jenny McCall and Mike Mansfield of Plano; his son Jeff McBrayer of Dallas and daughters Jennifer Paul and husband John of Huntington Beach, California and Julie McBrayer of Dallas; his grandchildren Matthew and wife Kamryn, Molly and Barrett McBrayer, and Gracelyn and Jackson Paul; and numerous nieces, nephews and family friends. He will be missed dearly.
The family will receive friends for a visitation on Monday, July 31, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Ted Dickey Funeral Home, 2128 18th Street, Plano, TX 75074.
A funeral service will follow from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, also at Ted Dickey Funeral Home, 2128 18th Street, Plano, TX 75074. Respectfully, a private interment with military honors will ensue at the Dallas- Ft. Worth National Cemetery.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.TedDickeyFuneral.com for the McBrayer family.
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