Gary R. POLEN

POLEN, Gary R.69, of Mesa, AZ, passed away peacefully on March 10, 2011. Born June 23, 1941 in Omaha, Nebraska to Shirley Brown and Paul Polen, Gary spent his early years there, moving with his family to Phoenix when he was 12 years old. Gary had a long career as an engineer, retiring from General Semiconductor Corp. in 1992. He began his second career and fulfilled a life-long dream when he opened East Valley Mustang in 1998. His love of cars, new and old, combined with his immense knowledge and work ethic, came together in the business he built. His customers became close friends, and Gary was known throughout the State and Country as one of the foremost experts on Ford Mustang restoration. Gary was also a collector and history buff. He collected antique toys and nostalgic memorabilia, and lovingly restored hundreds of pieces to their original beauty. He is preceded in death by his parents, Shirley and Paul, and leaves behind fiancé, Alberta Staddon, two sisters; Jackie Jones Jay, Sharon Smith Mike, three daughters; Sandra Cantelme, Pat Lauri Zapata Steve Katie Thorner-Withers Tom, and a son, Keith Evans Sara. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren; Jaime, Jennifer, Patrick, Kaitlin, Lindsey, Daniel, Gavon, Mason, Rylon, Aydon, Tegon, Clayton and Jace; three great-grandchildren; Landon, Caden and Brysen, and three nieces; Shannon, Kimberly and Stephanie. A celebration of Gary's life will take place on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church of Gilbert, 331 South Cooper Road, Gilbert, Arizona. Please join us in our celebration, followed by a reception where we look forward to reminiscing with all of you and hearing stories of the time you shared with him. Gary was a wonderful father, brother, grandfather, uncle, great-grandfather, friend, mentor and life partner. In honor of Gary, we invite you to drive your Mustangs or Collector Cars to the church. There will be a designated section of the parking lot set aside for your beautiful cars. Gary would love to see his family and friends gathered for one last car show, and we hope to see you there. Please share your memories and condolences by visiting the online guest book at: www.hansenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Hospice of the Valley, whom we thank sincerely for their kindness and compassion.