Obituary of Gary Richard Storin
Gary's last jam and final farewell
Regency Hotel
January 14, 2024
Service 2:00pm followed by a celebration of Gary’s life
Dear friends and family
It’s been a hard couple of weeks, and I haven’t known what to say and needed to get through dad’s birthday before returning to Facebook. I’m still looking at the door every day expecting him to walk in. I still can’t believe he never will. I know a lot of people feel the same way. Melissa and I have been overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness and generosity. Some have chosen to remain anonymous but I hope you know how thankful I am to you. Thank you hardly covers it. There are not enough words to express how grateful we are that you all cared so much for my dad and are showing the same towards me and Melissa. I want to get this right for him and honour him in the best way I can. That’s why we decided to delay my dad’s service and celebration of life until after the busy Christmas season, so more people can attend . I know my dad didn’t want a lot of “hoopla”, but I know he was happiest when there was fellowship and laughter and music. That is what defines him the best. So his final gig will be on January 14th at the Regency Hotel at 8068 Mountain Road Niagara Falls, ON.
There will be a service at 2:00 pm and a chance to share some stories and laughs over coffee and snacks.
Gary Storin’s life deserves to be celebrated, so we will give him the best damn send off the Niagara Region has ever seen with live music from his dear friends and bandmates from over the years. There will be pizza and wings (Dad’s fav) to get us over dinner hour and if you want a drink there will be a cash bar. This will go from 3:00 to 10:00
Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. We hope to see you to thank you in person. Have a good Christmas season with loved ones and please treasure every moment with them.
Love,
Chris and Melissa
We are saddened to share that Gary Richard Storin laid his sticks down for the last time on December 2, 2023, as a result of a medical event. The sudden passing of Gary leaves his beloved son, Christopher Storin and Melissa Gunn, who was like a daughter to him, in deep sorrow and disbelief, as well as his nephews, Brian and Jeff. As the loving great uncle to Kenny and Danielle, he leaves a hole that can never be filled. Gary’s dear friends, too numerous to name, are reeling. We are bound to leave names out, but you know who you are and will see yourself in these many words. Gary is joining his mom, Nellie (Helen) and dad Tiny (Lawrence) and brother Fred, all waiting to kick up their heels again with the hifi turned up and the knives ready to slap some knees. Also awaiting him will no doubt be some former bandmates and friends, and we can only hope the likes of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. And there will be laughter. Gary was a stickler for details, so here goes: he was a man about town, having grown up in the Garden City, and loving it so much, he rarely left in his 72 years. When he did, it was lugging the numerous drum cases housing his gorgeous set of Sonors or his vintage Pearls - or with his prized collection of barbering implements. His skilled hands never stopped working their magic, whether blowing our minds from the countless stages across the continent, most recently around this region, or when he lovingly and skillfully cut the hair of his cherished clients and friends,some for 35 years, who would enjoy his lively banter and his penchant for precision – and yes that is a nod to the drumline as well because for Gary, not much was not about music. It is where his best friendships and greatest loves, including two brief but happy marriages, formed. It influenced his earliest memories. It guided him and comforted him and inspired him. Like his close friends who were his touchstones and his confidants, whom he saw regularly. He loved you so, and treasured each precious moment.
Gary’s extraordinary musicality cannot be compared; He was such a talented percussionist, and his skills transferred to other areas. He was an avid golfer. He loved the game, and he was good. It was the same with darts and billiards, and his body building competitions.
Gary found a balance working for the District School Board Niagara, for the past 19 years. He was most recently at Collegiate, but he never forgot the kids and staff at Woodland or his other schools. He looked forward to his work placements and always spoke highly of his colleagues in salons, schools and on stages. Who hasn’t been in a room where Gary did not captivate? Or make you laugh? Always impeccably groomed, with a twinkle in those knowing eyes, smelling faintly of his favourite incense and other curated scents. He was the consummate gentleman, always ready with a warm hug or firm handshake, an occasional bawdy joke, a cricket chirp or his disarming smile. Keeping perfect time. Never late and always prepared, but nothing could have prepared him for this timing. Christmas without him at the table and his birthday celebration on December 18th will hit loved ones hard. In a cruel twist of irony, Gary was preparing to say goodbye to his older brother, Fred on the same day he left us. Please refer to the Go Fund Me information or contact Mike or Terry for an email to send an etransfer to help with mounting expenses, in lieu of flowers.
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