Obituary of Charles W. Gay

Charles W. “Charlie” Gay, 94, lifelong resident of Iowa City passed away peacefully Wednesday, December 21, 2016, at Oaknoll Retirement Residence. A celebration of Charlie’s life will be held at 10 am Saturday, December 24, 2016, at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City with the Reverend Kyle Otterbein officiating. Burial will follow at the Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. There will be time for family and friends to visit one hour prior to the services. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in his memory to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church or the Oaknoll Foundation. Online condolences can be sent for his family through the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com. Charles William Gay was born August 12, 1922, in Iowa City, the son of George R. and Helen (Lake) Gay. He attended Iowa City schools graduating from City High School with the Class of 1940 as the Class President. He attended both Iowa State University and The University of Iowa. He was united in marriage to Dorothy M. Wallace on March 18, 1945, in Iowa City. For many years he owned and operated the family business, Gay’s Locker and Meat Market until his retirement in 1988. Charlie was a generous man. He devoted time and energy to numerous organizations, including St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, as a charter member. He was active in numerous organizations, holding offices in many. He was on the Board of Hills Bank and Trust Company for over thirty years, serving as its chairman from 1979 to 1995. He participated in the Iowa City Noon Chapter of Rotary International as its oldest and longest member, serving a term as its president. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Area Boy Scout Council, Mercy Hospital Board, and the Monday Morning Quarterback Club. Charlie was a man who cherished his friends, and many cherish Charlie. His family was his world; you would see the twinkle in his eyes, his rosy cheeks perk up, and that Charlie smile when it came to his family! To Charlie, his wife, Dorothy, was the love of his life, and his family was the joy of his life. He was always attentive and involved in the lives of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The humble yet generous way in which Charlie lived his life is a model of how to care for others. His family includes his daughter Nancy Spencer Cunningham and her husband Michael, and children, Stefanie Smith and her husband Doug, and their children, Doug, Rebecca, Eleanor and Nathan; Jenifer Gunn and her husband Jim, and their children, James, Katherine and Sarah; Whitman Spencer and his wife, Elysia, and their children, Liam and Nicole; daughter Ginny Reynolds and her husband Glenn, and their children, Bill Reynolds and his wife Kristin and their daughter, Sydney, and Tricia Gingerich and her husband Zachary, and their son, Noah; daughter Becky and her husband Tom Gelman, and their children, Sam and his wife Riene, and their son Charlie, and Emma Gelman and her husband Steve Voith; and son, Dr. Bill Gay and his wife Anne Wallace, and their children, Jake Wallace, Dan Wallace and his wife Dazi, and Hanna Wallace. He was preceded in death by his parents George and Helen Gay; wife, Dorothy; siblings, Dorothy Adamson, Richard Gay, Anna Gay, George Gay, and Robert Gay; great-grandson Connor Charles Reynolds and son-in-law Don Spencer. We count our blessing every day for the attentive and thoughtful care Dad received at Oaknoll and we are immensely grateful to the caregivers and all the staff who were always looking out for him, including having an eggs and sausage breakfast ready whenever he was.