Gary Gene Kuhn

Gary Gene Kuhn was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, December 19, 1971. His daughter, Emmaline, was the light of his life, his most cherished treasure. Sharing his youth were his parents Donnie and Glenda Kuhn, his brother Gregory Don Kuhn, and a large extended family. Gary graduated McLoud High School in 1990, an accomplishment he shared with his lifelong friend, Ricky Sanders. Gary’s steady character was revealed when he received an award for never missing a day of school.

At a young age Gary began a productive love of art, selling his first painting at the age of eight. Under the tutelage of high school art teachers, many competitive awards were earned. During his teens, Gary also became a member of the Civil Air Patrol and made his first solo flight when he was sixteen. Gary earned a Bachelor of Art degree from the University of Oklahoma, and he especially enjoyed a semester with the Monks at St. Gregory’s University where his perfectionist skills were applied to restoration of antique art pieces. Gary completed a second degree in Criminal Justice when he joined the Oklahoma City Police Department May 26th, 2000, where he served until his death.

In the police academy Gary built strong friendships with fellow recruits that lasted throughout his career. Gary’s first assignment was Hefner Patrol Division in 2001 where he and Ted Beaver quickly became notorious and nicknamed “The Animals”. Gary became a CIT officer in 2002 and later transferred to the School Resource Unit in 2012. In 2020 Gary transferred to the Santa Fe Patrol Division where he lovingly served his community. Gary overcame many obstacles, and speed bumps the last few years of his life. During this time, he chose not to be a victim and move forward with purpose and determination and to truly become happy. Because of Gary’s caring heart and resilient mindset, he was chosen to be an OCPD volunteer Wellness Peer. In this capacity, Gary was able to pay it forward by helping officers stay resilient and working with those that struggled with career and personal issues. Gary was loved at OCPD, and his partners will cherish the time he was with them, and they will share the stories among each other to the next generation. OCPD became his career family cemented within the strong bond of fellow officers. His dry sense of sarcasm, quick wit, and constant willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty made him a vital member of the force. He was a guardian from his beginning to the end. The small steps toward his purpose were fulfilled beginning with riding his stick horse around the corner lot guarding his family and neighbors to his end-of-duty on July 28, 2025.

With his ever-expanding artistic detail and experience, Gary designed and constructed outdoor furniture. He also rebuilt his dad’s 1988 Chevrolet Pickup, which he enjoyed taking to town where old-timers admired his work. Gary’s cooking skills were tasty delights, and he challenged his mother’s cooking when he was a young teen, inspiring her to spice up her life with good food. Gary enjoyed working on his ranchette near Luther, Oklahoma, where he befriended a herd of deer with his canine friend, Dingo. Traveling abroad became a passion in the past few years, and he made many new friends during his travels and tasted ‘the good life’.

Gary is survived by his daughter Emmaline Kuhn; his parents Donnie and Glenda; a brother Gregory Kuhn and wife Lana and their daughters, Lillian, Delilah, Cecilia, and Aliyah as well as many uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends. The family wishes to specially recognize the friends who became more like family; Bryan Ackerman, Jeff Rooks, Kevin Howze, Matt Reed, Gregory Foust, and Ted Beaver.

Graveside services will be held Friday August 1, 2025, at 10 a.m. in McLoud Riverside Cemetery, followed with a memorial service to honor his life at Harrah Church in Harrah, Oklahoma at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oklahoma City Police Department Wellness Unit or the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.