Gary Brian Heil

He was born in Orange County, California on July 21st, 1939 to Melvin L. Heil and Patricia P. Holly-Heil. He retired in Tucson, Arizona in 2005 and then returned to California in 2017 to be near his family. Gary Brian Heil graduated from Huntington Beach High School in 1957 and attended Community College and Trade School for Machinery. Gary B. Heil had a career in maintenance and fabrication with the City of Tustin and travelled abroad to Ireland and within the United States to consult and assemble machinery.

His greatest joy in life was raising his three sons Mike, Mitch, and Jim Heil. He had a passion for music, woodworking, vintage cars, reading, hunting and fishing.

He had a very strong passion for music; listening to a vast spectrum of music from Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass to the Kingston Trio, Mammas and Papa’s to Fleetwood Mac and Elton John. He played the guitar very well and taught his youngest son some of his first chords on the guitar. One thing he was well known for in his later years was his ability to play the harmonica; he was often found with one or two nearby at all times. His love for music did not stop there and he even built tube amps and

stereo equipment. He also managed his father-in-laws stereo store in Canoga Park, CA. for roughly six years. Along with music, he was very gifted with and had a vast knowledge of mechanics. Gary had many tools in his garage and passed on his knowledge to his three sons, two of whom have had careers working in fields within the mechanics industry.

Gary had a strong passion for researching his family’s heritage from Germany and Ireland. He was very proud of his family’s heritage, the diverse make up and lineage of it. He even had the privilege to travel to Ireland: the birthplace of his mothers family, the Holly’s. He made sure to pass that passion of his heritage, many stories, and research down to his children and then to his children's children.

He was an avid fisherman; his favorite place to fish was Klamath on the border of California and Oregon. While he lived in California there was always an annual fishing trip to Klamath scheduled. His sons fondly remember as children waking up early to go on these trips and how their father would be up before everyone to go catch fish, then Gary would come back and they all would go together. It didn't matter where Gary was, whether on a lake, river, boat, pier or shore line, “Dad loved to fish.” Gary will be remembered for his positive outlook on life, his strong will, and heartwarming contagious smile.

He was preceded in death by his wife Vera Lynette Johnson Heil (married in 1966); and his sister Holly Ann Heil. Gary is survived by his eldest son, Mike C. Heil and his children Brian and Nicholas Heil; middle son, Mitch A. Heil and his wife, Denise Heil, and their children Ashlee and Nicholas Heil; youngest son, Jim L. Heil and his wife, Lisa Gerstenberger-Heil, and their children Kaitlin and Allison Heil and Mark Coward; and six great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be held at 10:00AM on March 26th, 2021 at Fairhaven

Memorial Park and Mortuary in Orange County, California where over thirty other Heil

family members are buried.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in remembrance to Gary Brian Heil to the American Stroke Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.fairhavenmemorial.com for the Heil family.