Gary Lee Doty passed away peacefully from advanced basal cell cancer on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, at his Puyallup, Wash., home, with wife Beatrice and son Jeff by his side. He was born to Samuel and Norma Doty on Feb. 16, 1941, in Lewiston.
Raised in Potlatch, Gary graduated from Potlatch High School, valedictorian of the class of 1959. He then entered the University of Idaho under the ROTC program. In 1963 Gary graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and entered the U.S. Air force as a second lieutenant. He was sent to the University of Utah where he received a Bachelor of Science in meteorology in 1964. His first weather assignment was to Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Germany where he met his future wife Beatrice Elizabeth Beeson. They married in December of 1965.
Gary’s 23 years of military service included a tour in Vietnam, an MBA from Troy State University, PhD coursework in Quantitative Analysis, multiple commander assignments including Kadena AFB, Okinawa, and multiple military decorations prior to his retirement as lieutenant colonel in 1986. Following his first retirement, Gary continued to share his knowledge and proven leadership skills at Boeing managing engineering and preflight testing programs. He retired for a second, and final, time in 2011.
Outside of his career Gary was an avid runner competing in marathons for decades. Later, when running was no longer possible, he and wife Bea became avid walkers racking up enough mileage to effectively walk first across the United States and then around the world.
He was active in the Catholic church, serving as Parish Council President (Okinawa), Finance Chairman, and Lector and Eucharistic Minister (All Saints). Gary loved planting beautiful trees and plants around his home and giving them as gifts.
Gary is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Beatrice; son Jeff (Liisa) Doty; daughter Suzanne (Tim) Plante; grandchildren Mason and Elizabeth Doty, Sam, Mary, TJ and Kolbe Plante; great-grandchild Ruby Plante; siblings Barbara Doty, Cheryl (Lee) Kopf, Darlene (John) Smith, Randy (Michelle) Doty; cherished nieces and nephews and extended family; also friends and neighbors whose lives he touched.
