Gary Lee Willis

Memorial Service: Friday, June 18, 2010 at 11:00 A.M. at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home.

Gary Lee Willis passed at home on June 8, 2010. Gary was born in Mounds, Illinois July 11, 1940 to Billie M. (Penn) Willis and Ernest E. Willis.

He spent his early years in Southern Illinois and Kentucky then lived in California, Colorado, New Jersey, Washington State, Japan and Germany. He met his wife Sharon in Augsburg, Germany in 1959 when they were both 19 years old. They were married August 19, 1961 in New Jersey. They later moved to Montana when his father was sent to Fort Harrison as an advisor to the National Guard.

Gary had a long and successful career beginning as a police officer on the Helena Police Force. He received a medical retirement from the Helena Police Department due to an injury suffered on duty. Gary was given a scholarship to attend the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (then in Bozeman) where he graduated 1st in his class. He then went to work at State Board of Equalization now the Department of Revenue. While working for the state he also served as deputy coroner for Mickey Nelson for a period of time. He then transferred to Office of Public Instruction where he was Director of Human Resources, then served as Director of Human Resources for Montana Department of State Lands, which later became the Department of Natural Resources from which he retired.

After retiring from DNRC he became the Director of Human Resources for Shodair Hospital where he was still working when he learned of his illness in November 2009. Gary worked until February of 2010. Gary served on the State Work Force commission, Society for Human Resource Management, and was a Regional Director on the board of directors for the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, where he served as Regional Director.

He was preceded in death by his grandfather Ernest Franklin Willis, born in Weatherford, Texas who was Chief of Police in Mounds, Illinois; maternal grandparents, Marshall and Sally (Word) Penn; his son Terry Lee Willis in 2004 and his mother Billie M. (Penn) Willis in 2003.

Gary is survived by his wife Sharon (Hodges) Willis; son Mark E. Willis and wife Denise of Helena; daughter Brooklyn of Spokane, Washington; father Ernest E. Willis of Clancy, Montana; brother in law Keith Hodges and his wife Donna of Helena; aunts, Edoenna Turner and Alice Marie Flowers both of Kentucky.

Memorial services are planned Friday, June 18, 2010 at 11:00 A.M. at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home. Gary was involved with so many organizations the family wishes memorials in his name to the Shodair Hospital or to an organization of the donors choice. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: www.stevensonandsons.com.