Gary Wayne Stake

Gary Wayne Stake, 78, of St Johns, FL, went to be with his Savior Jesus Christ on April 3, 2025, after enduring a long illness.
Gary was born on March 20th, 1947, in Marengo, IA, to Wayne and Vivian Stake. He graduated from Iowa Valley High School in 1965 and attended the University of Iowa. After school, Gary was hired at Rockwell Collins, where he met his wife, Kandi. They were married for 51 years. He worked there for 18 years and managed a team project with GPS technology that eventually was used in the Stealth Bomber. In 1991, he moved with Kandi and their daughter, Natalie, to Florida to open Hearing Aids Today, which they owned for 12 years. In 1996, he also purchased Tillman's Meat Market. Upon selling their businesses, he and Kandi moved back to Iowa to run the Stake family-established motel, The Crest Country Inn in Williamsburg. Gary was a 4th generation hotelier on both sides of his family. As a business owner, he was known for his hospitality, good humor, and attentive customer service.
Gary's life was not about what he did but about his relationship with Jesus Christ. One day, he was reflecting on his life and remarked, "I'm not proud of my past, but for sure, the most important decision that I ever made was to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Getting before God, being honest about my past sins, asking Him to forgive me, and inviting Him to live within me is my assurance that I will spend eternity with Christ and those I love who have gone before me, who also have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior."
Gary was preceded in death by his father, Wayne Stake; mother, Vivian Stake; brother- in-law, Ken Berger; sister, Carolyn Berger; and son, Tracy Stake. He is survived by his wife, Kandi Stake, son Steven Stake, daughter Natalie (Michael) Gassman and grandchildren, Olivia (Ben) DuPré and Michael (Cole) Gassman II. He is also survived by many brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law as well as many nieces and nephews.
An informal gathering, time of sharing, and memorial meal with family and friends will take place in Iowa on May 26th, 2025 from 11am to 2pm at Faith Bible Church 1800 46 St. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402.