Garrett Gall

Gall, Garrett Thomas

Garrett Thomas Gall, 77, of Beavercreek, Ohio, passed away on May 14, 2024, following a brief illness. Gary was born in Buffalo, New York, on September 5, 1946, to John and Florence (Aldrich) Gall. When he was ten years old, his family moved from Buffalo to Dayton, Ohio, which became his childhood home. Gary graduated from Chaminade High School in Dayton in 1964. Following high school, he spent some time at the University of Dayton before enlisting in the Army in 1966. While in the Army Gary graduated from Officer Candidate School and rose to the rank of Captain. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star and Army Commendation medals, but was always most proud of his assignment in San Francisco, California, where he was tasked with escorting fallen service members home to their families. In one instance, he developed a life-long friendship with a couple that had lost their only child. After leaving the Army in 1970, Gary completed his undergraduate studies at Wright State University, graduating in 1973. While at Wright State, in the middle of a class, Gary met his first wife, Joan (Kelly). Gary and Joan were wed in Dayton in April of 1974. Not long after graduating from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1976 (and welcoming their first child, Matthew), Gary and Joan moved to St. Marys, Ohio, and had two more children: Michael and Lauren. Gary was in the private practice of law in St. Marys until Joan passed away in 1986. Gary and his children remained in St. Marys for many years and Gary entered public service with the Auglaize County Prosecutor's Office, eventually becoming the Auglaize County prosecutor in 1994. In June of 1997, Gary married his second wife, Kathleen (Yux), and moved to Bellbrook, Ohio, which was something of a homecoming to the Dayton area and a welcoming into an entirely new family. Gary continued his career in public service with the Greene County Prosecutor's Office, retiring in 2010. Gary will be remembered most as a selfless and loving husband, father, grandfather, friend, and mentor. Simple gatherings with family and friends always gave him immense joy. Gary was an active person who transitioned from running to bicycling later in his life, logging almost 3,000 miles on his bicycle in a single year. Gary also volunteered much of his time after retiring and was active with the Dayton Foundation, the Stivers School for the Arts, the Dayton Early College Academy, and was a College Promise mentor for eight years. In a true testament to his generosity, at age 58 Gary donated a kidney to a young man he had never met. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, John and Florence Gall, sisters Judith Luhn and Mary Ellen Gall, and his first wife, Joan. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, sons and daughters-in-law Matthew (Tiffany) and Michael (Erin), daughter Lauren, grandchildren Evelyn, Charlotte, Samuel, Rose, and Isaac, stepson Andrew (Kimberley) Gaskill, their children Makayna and Arya, and stepdaughter Kelly Gaskill, and numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives. Family and friends are invited to a visitation at Newcomer Funeral Home, 3380 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, Ohio, from 1:30 to 4:00 on Wednesday, May 22, with a brief service beginning at 4:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gall Family Scholarship Fund through the Wright State University Foundation.