Charles Gay

CHARLES W. "CHARLIE" GAY

Iowa City

Charles W. "Charlie" Gay, 94, a lifelong resident of Iowa City, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, at Oaknoll Retirement Residence.

A celebration of Charlie's life will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, with the Rev. Kyle Otterbein officiating. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. There will be time for family and friends to visit one hour before the services.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in his memory to St. Andrew

Presbyterian Church or the Oaknoll Foundation.

Online condolences can be sent for his family through the funeral home website at www.gayandciha.com.

Charles William Gay was born July 22, 1922, in Iowa City, the son of George R. and Helen (Lake) Gay. He attended Iowa City schools, graduating from City High School with the Class of 1940 as class president. He attended both Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. He was united in marriage to Dorothy M. Wallace on March 18, 1945, in Iowa City. For many years he owned and operated the family business, Gay's Locker and Meat Market, until his retirement in 1988.

Charlie was a generous man. He devoted time and energy to numerous organizations, including St. Andrew Presbyterian Church as a charter member. He was active in numerous organizations, holding offices in many. He was on the board of Hills Bank and Trust Company for over 30 years, serving as its chairman from 1979 to 1995. He participated in the Iowa City Noon

Chapter of Rotary International as its oldest and longest member, serving a term as its president. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, area Boy Scout Council, Mercy Hospital board and Monday Morning Quarterback Club.

Charlie was a man who cherished his friends and many cherished Charlie. His family was his world; you would see the twinkle in his eyes, his rosy cheeks perk up, and that Charlie smile when it came to his family! To Charlie, his wife, Dorothy, was the love of his life, and his family was the joy of his life. He was always attentive and involved in the lives of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The humble yet generous way in which Charlie lived his life is a model of how to care for others.

His family includes his daughter, Nancy Spencer Cunningham and her husband, Michael, and children, Stefanie Smith and her husband, Doug, and their children, Doug, Rebecca, Eleanor and Nathan; Jenifer Gunn and her husband, Jim, and their children, James, Katherine and Sarah; Whitman Spencer and his wife, Elysia, and their children, Liam and Nicole; daughter, Ginny Reynolds and her husband, Glenn, and their children, Bill Reynolds and his wife, Kristin, and their daughter, Sydney, and Tricia Gingerich and her husband Zachary, and their son, Noah; daughter, Becky and her husband, Tom Gelman, and their children, Sam and his wife, Riene, and their son, Charlie, and Emma Gelman and her husband, Steve Voith; and son, Dr. Bill Gay and his wife, Anne Wallace, and their children, Jake Wallace, Dan Wallace and his wife, Dazi, and Hanna Wallace.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Helen Gay; siblings, Dorothy Adamson, Richard Gay, Anna Gay, George Gay and Robert Gay; a great-grandson, Connor Charles Reynolds; and son-in-law, Don Spencer.

We count our blessings every day for the attentive and thoughtful care Dad received at Oaknoll and we are immensely grateful to the caregivers and all the staff who were always looking out for him, including having an eggs-and-sausage breakfast ready whenever he was.