Gary A Herk

August 20, 1948 - January 25, 2022

Gary Allan Herk, 73, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 25, 2022 at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Florida. He will be missed terribly by his life partner, Rita Herk, who was in his life for over 50 years. Born in Valley City, North Dakota on August 20, 1948, he was the youngest son of Evaline (d. 2009) and Alvin (d. 1982) Herk. He grew up in North Dakota and Minnesota and joined the US Navy in 1966. He met Rita the day after he was discharged from the Navy in 1970, and they were married and started a life together in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1972. Their daughters Amy and Andia were born in 1974 and 1977, respectively. The young family moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1979. Gary enjoyed many hobbies throughout his life including photography, cycling, hiking, and watching football. Gary was proud of his work as an electrical designer and electrical engineer, retiring in 2018. In January of 2020, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease after many years battling symptoms. In March 2021, Gary and Rita moved to Kissimmee, Florida, where Gary was very happy making new friends and playing bocce ball. Gary will be remembered for his playful nature, sense of humor, and caring personality. He is survived by his former spouse and life partner, Rita Herk; daughters Amy Herk (Mauro Cipolat-Gotet) and Andia (Ian) Dinesen; granddaughters McKenzie Dinesen, Mina Dinesen, and Andia Cipolat-Gotet; and brothers Rodney (Praphatsorn) Herk and Darrell (Casey) Herk. Services will be on February 12th in the Solivita community in Kissimmee, Florida with a flag lowering ceremony at Freedom Park at 10:30 am and a memorial service and reception at The Palms at 11:30 am. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Parkinson’s Foundation https://www.parkinson.org/ or any Parkinson’s research organization. The memorial service will be accessible live online (11:30 am Eastern Time). Use this link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85748299132?pwd=N0J6WXBLOExtcjV2cmpVUnNuVENrdz09