Gary Joseph Hug

Gary Hug will be remembered as a loving husband and father, a faithful friend, a successful salesman, and a skilled craftsman and boat builder. He loved his parents and siblings, along with his large extended family of cousins, aunts, and uncles that he remained close with his entire life. Here in the New Bern area, he has several surviving extended family members including his beloved cousin Lori Gover, her husband David, and many of their children and grandchildren. Gary was born in the Bronx, New York on July 1st, 1950. As an infant he overcame being born with a condition called ClubFoot that would have prevented him from walking, had it not been for the state-of-the-art surgical intervention that was just becoming available. Most of Gary’s childhood memories were made in Hackettstown, New Jersey. He created lifelong friendships in New Jersey, and he leaves his two surviving best friends, Paul Roba & Rick Nelson. Gary was a music enthusiast and attended Woodstock and several years of the New Orleans Heritage Jazz Festival. Over the course of his career he fulfilled diverse roles, and he even started his own business, a wood burning fireplace shop. The majority of his career accolades were earned in his role as a salesman. Gary worked for Audi, Jotul, and Jensen Leisure earning several national awards and recognition over this 35-year period.

Gary met his wife of 31 years, Nancy, through their mutual passion for sailing, while living in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 80’s. Soon after, they welcomed their only daughter Katie, into the world while they lived in the sailing community of Port Hueneme, California. Gary was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in early 2017 and he spent the next six years battling this disease and living his life to the fullest extent possible. He passed away peacefully on the morning of Monday, October 24th.

He is survived by his loving wife, Nancy Hug; daughter, Katharine "Katie" Hug; and brother, William E. Hug.

Gary is preceded in death by his parents, William and Theresa Hug; and sister, Eileen Hug.

His funeral will be held at Old Saint Paul’s Church in downtown New Bern on Monday, October 31st at 10:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in honor of Gary, to the CarolinaEast Foundation, Craven Cancer Classic Golf Tournament. You can donate online by visiting https://www.carolinaeasthealth.com/foundation/donate-now/ and selecting the designation “Craven Cancer Classic Golf Tournament”.

Cotten Funeral Home is honored to serve the family and friends of Gary Joseph Hug.