Gary Erwin Munsey

The family would like to thank the staff and doctors at Mercy Medical Center. They were supportive to the family during this difficult time. A special thank you from the family to Mark and Michelle Cicanco, Dave Flohr, Bob Nidever and countless others for their unwavering support. Gary also leaves behind his childhood and lifelong friend, Stephen Kobayashi, and Ron Anderson.

Gary was born March 19, 1938, in Burlington, Colorado, to the late Feryll and Ruth Munsey and moved to California in 1940 at the age of two. He was the eldest of four brothers, Lary (passed in 2007), Dennis and Kenneth. Gary graduated from Gardena High School and went on to graduate from Humboldt State College (later Humboldt State University) where he met Dolores and graduated in 1960. He and Dolores were married in 1962 in Oakhurst, California. While in Oakhurst, he was in the United States Army Reserves from 1961 to 1967.

Gary was a registered Professional Forester for the State of California and a member of the Society of American Foresters. He worked for the United States Forest Service for 34 years before retiring in 1994. He worked all over California, from Bass Lake (Sierra National Forest), Redwood Ranger Station (Six Rivers National Forest), Gasquet (Six Rivers National Forest), Ukonom (Klamath National Forest), Santa Barbara (Los Padres National Forest), and then Redding (Shasta-Trinity National Forest) in 1977 until his retirement in 1994. His jobs ranged from seasonal such as timber cruising and firefighting to District Ranger and finally finished as a Personnel Officer for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. After his retirement, he was proud to serve on the Shasta County Grand Jury in Redding, CA, from 1995 to 1996.

He enjoyed breakfasts with "Save the Baby Tree League" every Wednesday, spending time with his family and his pets, fishing, golfing, reading, watching sports, doing cross-words and playing card games. He enjoyed traveling to the Wahl Ranch in Fishtail, Montana, and visiting family, especially his brother-in-law, Jim Azevedo, in Arcata, California.

He is survived by his wife, Dolores Munsey, of 54 years; his brothers and sister-in-laws Dennis and Kris Munsey and Kenneth and Debbie Munsey both of Temecula, California; his sons and daughter in-laws, James and Kristin Munsey of Alta Loma, California, and John and Shannon Munsey of Elk Grove, California; and his four grandsons, Eric (19), William (17), Ryan (16) and Cole (15). Gary also leaves nieces and nephews from Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and California.

A memorial service will be held at McDonald's Chapel 1275 Continental Street in Redding, California on Saturday December 10th at 11am. Gary will be interned at Greenwood Cemetery in Arcata, California.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked to have donations sent to the non-profit organization Wildland Firefighter Foundation. Wildland firefighters are highly trained men and women, younger and older who love being in the outdoors. While putting themselves in harms way, their families do not receive any benefits after a fatality for up to 3 months. The WFF steps in to support those families' immediate financial needs as well as offering other support services.

Wildland Firefighter Foundation 2049 West Airport Way, Boise, Idaho 83705. (208) 336-2996 Phone. (208) 336-2995 Fax.

Wffoundation.org