Gary was born January 15, 1944 in Armstrong Township, PA. Gary was predeceased by his father, Arthur M. Bastian, and his mother, Florence A. Crawford, as well as his son, Brian Keith. Gary is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Colley Bastian; his sons Timothy (Kathryn), Doug (Elizabeth), and Andrew (Christina); grandsons Mitchel (Krista), Kyle (Madison), and Ian (Gabriella); great granddaughter, Aubrey; stepsons Stephen (Kelly) Hint, Dennis (Amy) Hint, and Christopher (Erica) Hint; and step grandchildren, Tyler (Katrina) Hint, Kaci (Nathan) Montesano, Jonathan Hint, Ethan Hint, Garrett Hint, and Hannah Hint.
Gary was raised and graduated high school in Montgomery, PA and graduated from Williamsport Institute of Technology. He moved to Arkport, NY and was active in the community as a cubmaster, little league coach, volunteer fireman, and EMT. He was also an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church. He later co-founded PM Research, Inc in Arkport, NY and in 1980 relocated the company to Wellsville, NY. Gary was a member of the Wellsville Rotary International Club for over 40 years and headed a community project to build an outdoor ice skating rink. Gary also worked with several other local businessmen as Allegany County Entrepreneurs to help anyone with an interest in starting a small business. Gary lived by the Rotary motto: “is it fair to all concerned” and always tried to help anyone in need. Gary was also a private pilot who loved flying, a proud member of the AOPA, and a member of the Wellsville Airport Committee. He was a past member of the Wellsville Town Board and the Allegany County Planning Board.
Memorial services will be held on June 14, 2024 at 2:00 pm at the St. John’s Lutheran Brick Church in Montgomery, PA. Memorial donations in his honor may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the Shriners Hospital for Children.