Gary Lawrence McGinnis

Gary was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Larry and Betty (Grisim) McGinnis. He was the oldest of 4 brothers. He graduated from Edison High School in 1969. In school, his teachers were always impressed with his exemplary talents. He played the clarinet in junior high through high school, soloing at the annual school music concert. He was also on the track team in high school.He attended the University of Minnesota for two years as a music major. Being on a large college campus during this tumultuous time in our countrys history was difficult, so he left school and moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to play in a Dixieland band and to work in a foundry. He made his way to Tennessee, and attended Trevecca Nazarene College to study theology.Gary joined the Navy for a 6-year tour of duty on the submarine force, but after less than 2 years, he suffered an epileptic seizure (a condition that had surfaced in high school), was given a medical discharge, and was deposited in port at Norfolk, VA.He found a job as a technical writer in the Technical Publications Department of Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, and established his church home at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Hampton. Gary met his wife, Debbie, at work, where she was employed as a technical illustrator. They were married on May 21, 1983.Over the next 14 years, God blessed them with 5 wonde sons.In the fall of 1986, due to massive layoffs at the shipyard, Gary lost his job. He and his family relocated to the Seattle area, where Debbies family was originally from. They lived in Port Orchard, and he rode his bike to the dock each day and commuted by ferry. After 2 years, they moved to Bothell, where he contracted at Boeing as a tech writer. He eventually started contracting at Microsoft, and, was subsequently hired on full-time. One of his favorite projects while at Microsoft was working on the team that wrote the help menu for Excel.Gary was raised and confirmed in the Lutheran church. He loved studying theology and was an excellent teacher and writer. Through the years, he attended several Presbyterian (PCA and OPC) churches. He and his family eventually found their way into the Reformed Episcopal Church, where Gary became an altar server. After completing his studies at Cummins Memorial Seminary, he was ordained a priest in the REC, and served for about 8 years, while also still working at Microsoft.God led Gary and his family to the Orthodox Church in late summer of 2003, and they were chrismated at St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Brier on Lazarus Saturday, 2004. It was on this occasion that he took the name Patrick, for his patron saint, St. Patrick of Ireland. The church was central to Garys life. He sang in the choir for many years, and was the driving force for ensuring that his family attended services consistently and often.Gary had many interests; he was passionate about all of them, and he passed his love for them on to his sons. Music was vital to him, and he continued playing the clarinet and recorder at every opportunity. In his youth, he learned to play tennis from his Uncle Wendell. He loved to play the game and to watch it. He was an avid chess player, and almost always had a game in progress on his chess computer. Living in northeast Minneapolis, he befriended his next door neighbor, Kurt Anderson. Kurt was wheelchair-bound with MS, but was a passionate amateur astronomer, and he taught Gary about the stars and solar system. Garys favorite activity on a clear night was to gaze at the stars with his telescope. And Garys love for baseball was known by all. Whether rooting for the Minnesota Twins or the Seattle Mariners, watching a game was something he thoroughly enjoyed. We often noticed that he would make an analytic comment on the game, and the announcers would give the same insight just moments after him.Due to ill health, Gary retired early, and his health continued to decline in his last years. He was home with his beloved family just prior to his repose. Gary will be deeply missed by his family and friends.Gary is survived by his former wife, Debbie, his sons, Ben, Seth, Samuel, Caleb, and Jacob; daughter-in-law, Marie; grandchildren, Maggie and James; his mother, Betty; his brothers, Greg and Tim; sister-in-law, Holly; nephews, Andrew, Jonathan, and Micah; his Aunt Sharon and Uncles Charles, Wendell, and Dan.He is preceded in death by his father, Larry, and his brother, Mike.Gary departed this earthly life on June 29, 2015, due to complications stemming from COPD. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to his beloved church, St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church, PO Box 437, Lynnwood, WA 98046.