Obituary of Gary Douglas Means

Gary was born on July 3, 1954 in Moses Lake, WA at Larson AFB to Bob and Betty Means. He passed away suddenly, at home in Pacific, on November 13, 2010. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Janice, sons Jon-Erik and Kristoffer, mother Betty, and brother Ron. Gary’s passing is also mourned by extended family and friends. Gary grew up in Tacoma and graduated from Lincoln High School. He met Jan in 1981 and they were married the following year in Seattle. During their early years, he continued his education at New School of Visual Concepts in Seattle and Praxis School of Art in Burien. He became a proud dad with the birth of Jon-Erik in 1987 and again in 1989, when Kristoffer was born. Gary was an incredible father and friend to all and took great pride in his family. Gary worked for many years at Eddie Bauer. He first came to use his graphic design skills professionally at Weyerhauser for several years, and then for CH2M Hill in Bellevue for over 15. In 2007, he left CH2M Hill to serve as Creative Director for the startup company, Depiction. This past spring he had left Depiction and was avidly working to set up his own graphic design business. He was so excited about the possibilities that were ahead and everyone he was meeting and becoming involved with. It was so good to see the joy he had as he made steady progress towards his goal. Gary was an incredibly warm, creative, funny and compassionate man. He had a strong sense of humor, sometimes cheesy, sometimes genuinely funny, but always welcome; his great deep laugh had become a trademark. His interests were vast and constantly growing or changing. He loved to write, read, design, paint Northwest Coast Indian art, and explore and dabble in music. Gary had an incredible passion for learning, never limiting himself, and he loved sharing this passion. He engaged not only with others, but also in his pursuit of God, with exceptional commitment and depth. Gary was involved with and wrote for many blogs regarding faith; here is a quote from one entry: It is my prayer that God would use me to touch the lives of hurting people, to bring them the story of a God who gives reason for hope, who transforms us from within. This is my heart. We will miss him tremendously. A memorial service will be held Friday, November 26th at 2 pm at Kent Covenant Church 12010 SE 240th St Kent WA 98031. A memorial fund has been set up for the family at Wells Fargo. Information can be obtained by contacting Jon-Erik Means or Phyllis Rogers.