Gary Lee Kesl

Dr. Gary Lee Kesl, a world-renowned tennis professional and devoted family man, was welcomed into Heaven on March 22, 2026, at the age of 86. A resident of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Gary leaves behind a legacy defined by his passion for tennis, his dedication to coaching, and an infectious laugh that brightened every room.
Raised in Edwardsville, Illinois, Gary was a naturally gifted athlete. He received his BA from Baylor University, where he earned a full basketball scholarship as a walk-on, later completing a master's at Southern Illinois University and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Miami.

Gary’s professional life was about excellence in tennis. After serving as the Head Tennis Pro at Aventura in 1972, then at Inverrary in 1975, he founded a world-renowned live-in tennis academy in 1980 called Gary Kesl’s Tennis Academy. In 1987, he purchased a tennis club with 17 courts in Deerfield Beach, Fl. During his career, he was the Mexico Davis Cup captain and also coached students for Davis Cup, Sunshine Cup and Federation Cup. He guided multiple players to titles at Junior Wimbledon, Easter Bowl, the Junior Orange Bowl as well as a player who reached the third round of Wimbledon. USTA named Gary a “High Performance Coach”, he had over 40 years of service to the USPTA, was a lifetime member of USTA and the ATP Tour Elite Coaches. To Gary, success was about developing the "whole person". His students and coaches were like family; they remember him as a mentor who coached them both on and off the court. After retirement, he went on to be the head pro at Boca Country Club and officially retired in 2022.

Above his professional accolades, Gary was a man of deep faith and family. He married Virginia in1966 and they shared 59 years of devoted marriage. He adored his children, daughter Leah Swanson and son, Justin Kesl and daughter in law Brandy, and cherished his granddaughters, Brianna, Aubrey, Kylie, and Ashley. He is also survived by his beloved sister, Karen Kirkover. He was preceded in death by his parents, Connie and John Kesl. Gary was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Boca Raton.

Gary’s greatest joy in later years was being a grandfather, whether visiting Disney World or teaching life lessons, his warmth, storytelling, and genuine connection to others will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and the global tennis community.

In leu of flowers, the family would love to have donations made to Blood Cancer United at https://events.lls.org/pages/ntx/RememberingGaryKesl or First United Methodist Church at https://onrealm.org/FirstUnitedMeth35690/-/form/give/now.