Gary Alan Church

Gary Alan Church passed away on Thursday, May 14th, 2026 surrounded by family at the age of 76 in Loxahatchee, Florida. Gary was born on September 6, 1949 in Elkhart, Indiana, but he always claimed Texas as his birth place. He was the child of Donald Church and Betty Mae Barley.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dina and his two loving daughters, Cristina Brooker (spouse David) and Fawn Thiery (spouse Jason). Gary was one of 8 children and is survived by 6 (Michael, Debbie, Kathy (“Susie”), Terry, Linda, Charles (“Chuckie”)). He is now with his brother, Steven (“Stevie”). Among others are his grandchildren Kenny Pinkerton (spouse Gina), Zachary Pinkerton, Brian Brooker (spouse Natalie), Brittany Brooker, Cora Anderson, DJ Anderson, Zachary Thiery; as well as, 14 great grandchildren.

He was proud of the life that he provided to his family with having only a 9th grade education. Gary was a heavy-duty diesel mechanic by trade but practiced so much more. He was an avid carpenter and enjoyed tinkering in his wood shop. He was also a teacher of a large facet of life skills. He passed his knowledge and passions on to several generations and to more others than we will ever know. He loved books and riding his motorcycle (watch out on those Streets of Gold 😊).

A memorial service will be held at Palms West Funeral Home on Sunday, May 24th, 2026 from 12 – 3 PM. The address is 110 Business Park Way, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 with a light lunch at the Church home immediately after.

The family would love for you to come and share some stories or memories of Gary that you have. For those that knew Gary you know he would want us to celebrate his life and not mourn his passing.

In lieu of flowers or cards, the family would like donations to be made to St. Jude which can easily be done through their website at www.stjude.org.