Gary Louis Preslar

Gary Louis Preslar, age 80, passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Oregon.

Gary was born November 12, 1943, in Montebello, California.  He was the next to the youngest child in a family of 8 children.  Gary’s parents were migrant workers, and after moving around in his early childhood, the family eventually settled in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Gary attended Fort Vannoy Elementary, Riverside Elementary, Grants Pass Junior High and the newly built South Junior High.  He graduated from Grants Pass High School in 1962.

As a small child, Gary told of selling the Grants Pass Daily Courier newspapers on the street corner and to regular patrons.  Then, as a teen in the summers and just following high school, he worked for the US Forest Service fighting fires and doing trail work as part of the firecrew.

In 1963, Gary met his wife, Phyllis Gardner, and the couple married on March 13, 1964, in Carson City, Nevada.  They made their home in Grants Pass, and recently celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary this past March.

Gary and Phyllis had 2 children; Holly, born in 1966, and Martin (“Marty”) born in 1968.  

Gary worked for over 40 years in the plywood industry as a mill worker holding a variety of jobs.   He worked for what was then Agnew Plywood, which later became Fourply, Inc., and was there until its closure in 2002.   Gary then worked for a short time at Stone Forest Plywood and finally Swanson/Superior in Glendale before retiring in 2006.

Gary was an outdoor enthusiast and spent many days hiking, fishing, camping and exploring in and around Oregon with his family.  He especially loved the time he spent on the North Umpqua in pursuit of the elusive steelhead.

In his retirement, Gary took up woodworking and became an outstanding carver.  With the help of his wife, Phyllis, they sold many of Gary’s carvings through eBay and Etsy all over the world, as well as having a regular booth at the local Grants Pass Art Market for many years, and the North Valley Christmas Bazaar.  Gary also had a passion for the Japanese art of bonsai and created hundreds of plants he tended and at times sold to others.

Gary is survived by his wife, Phyllis, of Grants Pass; daughter, Holly Preslar and son-in-law Lloyd Wilson, of Grants Pass; son Marty Preslar, and daughter-in-law Anji Preslar, of Portland.  Gary was preceded in death by his brother, Michael Preslar, sister Betty (Preslar) Jacobs, and brother, Noal Preslar.

The family will gather to celebrate Gary’s life later this fall on the North Umpqua.

In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that contributions be made to the Rogue Valley Humane Society.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.  The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time.  On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.  Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.   I am haunted by waters.”

-Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through it.