Gary Paul Bertrand

In Loving Memory of
Gary Paul Bertrand
Gary Bertrand, 67, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family, on Saturday, November 1, 2025, in North Las Vegas, NV. He fought a yearlong battle with cancer and is finally free of pain and suffering. Born June 26, 1958, in Slayton, Minnesota, Gary spent his early years on the farm with his six siblings, father, Harold Bertrand, and mother, Donna Koehn Bertrand. Being there for family was something instilled in Gary at an early age, and he lived his life being a light to those around him. After Gary graduated from high school in 1976, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He attended cryptologic technician operator school in Pensacola, Florida after bootcamp, then was stationed in the Azores for 18 months. He was stationed in Naples, Italy in the end of 1978, and was there until 1980. From 1980-1983, Gary was then stationed in Winter Harbor, Maine before attending streamline communication operator school in Pensacola, Florida, in the beginning of 1984. In 1984, Gary was stationed at Atsugi, Japan. He was discharged from the Navy in the spring of 1987. While stationed in Italy, in 1978, Gary met his beautiful wife Mary Budias, and they got married on December 15, 1979, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Gary and Mary went on to have three children, Adam (born in Naples, Italy in 1980), Brian (born in Blue Hill, Maine in 1982), and Patrick (born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1990.) For the rest of his career, Gary worked as a software engineer. In December of 1987, Gary worked at the National Security Agency and moved to Millersville, Maryland where he spent the next 30 years of his life. From 1999-2015, Gary worked at Raytheon, before working at the NSA again for the last two years before retirement. In 2017, Gary retired and spent his final years wintering in Casa Grande, AZ and summering in Sioux Falls, SD, visiting with family and spending as much time as he could with his kids and grandkids. He spent many holidays, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and the days in between pouring into the people he loved the most.
Gary is survived by his loving wife Mary, sons, Adam and his wife, Maggie, Brian, and Patrick and his wife, Maritta, his grandkids, Cassidy and her husband, Kevin, Emma, David, Jonathan-Ikiru, Julia, Leiliana, and his great grandchild, Ela, and his siblings, Nick and his wife, Patricia, Gene and his wife Carol, Bruce and his partner, Mary, Dennis and his wife, Nancy, Suanne and her husband, Loren, and Jane and her husband, Jim. He is preceded in death by his parents, an infant brother, and sister-in-law, Virginia Bertrand.
A celebration of life service will be at the VFW in Wilmont, MN on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00. a.m. Military honors accorded by the Wilmont VFW Post. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The Last Prisoner Project: https://www.lastprisonerproject.org. Totzke Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements. To send condolences visit totzkefuneralhome.com
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