Obituary of Gary Stenerson

Gary Stenerson September 23, 1951 - December 30, 2012 Resident of Santa Cruz, CA Gary Stenerson passed away peacefully on December 30 after a long and courageous battle against leukemia. . A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on January 4, 2013 at the United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz at 250 California St., Santa Cruz, CA. Gary was born in Cedar Rapids, IA and raised in Marion, IA, where he met Gail, his high school sweetheart and wife of 40 years. Gary grew up playing multiple sports but after moving to Santa Cruz in 1977, he developed a love for soccer; in addition to coaching his kids' teams, he later coached the girls' JV squad at Harbor High School and in recent years became a beloved referee of the "Wheezers & Geezers" and other adult recreation soccer leagues. A graduate of Pepperdine's MBA program, he worked primarily as an electronics hardware engineer, contributing work to military hardware, GPS technology and solar panel design, as well as obtaining a patent on a manufacturing process still in use today. However, his most important job was being a wonderful husband to his wife, father to his children, and "PopPop" to his grandkids. Along the way, he also learned to scuba dive, ride a motorcycle, and take the family trip of a lifetime to Alaska. He also maintained his life-long love of the Green Bay Packers, attending a game at Lambeau field with his father and son in 2008 and becoming a shareholder of the team in 2011. Outside of sports, Gary loved his family and his country and was passionate about our freedoms. Gary's motto was "Life is good...Miracles Happen"; his vibrant character and unrelenting spirit inspired countless people who were fortunate enough to meet him. Gary is survived by his wife, Gail, his daughter Michelle Webb and her husband, Anthony and sons Connor and Caden, his daughter Kari Eckman and her husband Dan, his son Matt and his wife, Robin and daughter Abby. He is also survived by his parents, LeRoy and Jeanne Stenerson, his sister Deborah Davis and his brother, Michael Stenerson as well as many other extended family and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The family wishes to thank the Stanford Cancer Center, the Dominican Hospital Infusion Center, Dr. Michael Johnson, Dr. Glenn Wong and their dedicated staff members. Thanks also go out to all of the extended family and friends who supported Gary and his family throughout this battle.