Gary Chenkin

1934 - 2020

Gary Chenkin
8/14/1934 - 12/15/2020
Gary Chenkin passed away peacefully with his wife, Carole at his side on December 15th, 2020. He was 86 years old. Gary was born to Saul and Eva Chenkin on August 14th, 1934 in San Diego.
Gary's childhood years were spent in San Diego. As a teenager, he attended the Army & Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California and later graduated from Hoover High School in San Diego. Gary received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and later his graduate degree in Geography from Stanford University.
Gary started his career in City and Regional Planning at the Santa Clara County Planning Department. While there, he was tasked to hire another geographer to assist with a departmental project. The new hire, Carole Nakata from Hawaii, soon became more than a colleague and within a few months they knew they would be together. Gary and Carole were married on November 25th, 1967. Deciding it was an opportune time to travel, they packed up their belongings and made their way around the world for the next 12 months.
Upon returning to the United States, Gary started a position at the City of Hayward where he worked for 3 years before accepting a position in the Eugene Planning department in 1972. Being the adventurous person Gary was, he flew Carole and their son David to Eugene and then drove their 1966 VW Bug from the Bay Area to Eugene in January. As they settled into life in the Pacific Northwest, Gary and his family spent time cross country skiing, sailing on Fern Ridge reservoir, white water rafting, and on frequent bicycle outings.
Gary loved the Eugene community and in his retirement years volunteered with the Eugene Airport Advisory Board, Eugene Ballet, Eugene Library, and SMART Reading Program. He was also an armchair traveler chairman with Osher Lifelong Learning and enjoyed sharing pictures and stories of his various travel adventures.
Gary had a great sense of humor and will be remembered for telling a joke to friends and family. He was always enthusiastic about life and learning about different cultures and peoples. Their trip to Cuba in 2012 was Gary's last international sojourn that totaled more than 70 countries. Travel slowed down when Gary began experiencing mobility issues stemming from childhood polio, among other things.
Gary frequently shared his love of music, art, and food from around the globe with family and friends. His kind and considerate nature will be missed.
Gary was predeceased by his parents and his sister Maxine Kreinberg. He is survived by his wife, Carole, of 53 years, son David and daughter-in-law, Tammy, Bend OR and sister, Sonya Hough, formerly of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands and now in Florida.
The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers at The Springs at Greer Gardens for their kindness and help during Gary's last few months. Memorial contributions to honor Gary's life can be made to Food for Lane County and the Eugene Library Foundation.
No services are planned at this time.
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