Gary Dean Ford, 73, of McAlester, left his earthly life for his heavenly home on Thursday, February 17, 2022.   The family will welcome friends for visitation at Brumley-Mills Funeral Home on Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Funeral services will be Monday, February 21, at 2:00 p.m. at Brumley-Mills Funeral Home Chapel with Chaplain Kerry Kirkhart officiating, assisted by Pastor Alvin Nixon.

Honorary pallbearers are Mark Calhoun, Doug Calhoun, Jeff Mincher, Saxon Calhoun, Jake Mincher, Jack Stipe, and Brent Owens.

Gary Dean Ford was born on August 22nd, 1948 in McAlester, Oklahoma to Nancy Lee and Abel Anderson Ford.  He attended grade school at Blocker and graduated from Crowder High School in 1966. Gary has one sister Carol and their mother married again to  Otho(Jack) Jameson, thus bringing 4 more step-siblings and a houseful of kids.  He loved riding horses with his brother Roy as a youngster as well as bikes, until he fell and broke his leg and had to wear a full body cast and never rode again. His love of basketball was quite evident and he spoke very fondly over the years of his Coach Mr. Bill McBee. Gary was baptized on March 30th, 1961 in Victory Park Baptist Church in McAlester, OK.

Gary entered into the US Army in 1967, one year after graduating from high school.  Stationed in Ft. Bliss, TX he was a member of the 82nd Airborne, 36th Field Artillery Regiment with the 815th Engineer Battalion.  Army engineers landed in force with U.S. ground units in 1965 and before long numbered more than 10 percent of the U.S. Army troops committed to the fight. Working in one of the world's harshest undeveloped regions, and under constant threat from an elusive and determined foe, the engineers met every test that came their way. They built ports and depots for a supply line that reached halfway around the globe, carved airfields and airstrips out of jungle and mountain plateaus, repaired roads and bridges to clear the advance for the combat infantryman, and constructed bases for an army whose communications grew in complexity with each passing year. They were often found in the thick of the fighting and fought as infantrymen as part of a long tradition of fighting while building. Between August and December 1969, the 84th and 815th Construction Battalions trained 167 South Vietnamese soldiers from the 6th Construction and 20th Combat Groups to operate D7E bulldozers, 290M scrapers, twenty- and forty-ton cranes, scoop loaders, and asphalt plants.

Gary was injured on March 4th, 1968 while using the large D7E bulldozers, he ultimately suffered massive injuries to his back and pelvis bone were crushed.  He was sent to a hospital in Japan and then transferred to Fort Walters Hospital in Mineral Wells, Texas where he underwent surgery and 6 months of physical therapy to re-learn how to walk. Once he had rehabilitated, he returned to the McAlester area.

In 1970, he met Monica Pohl Calhoun and they married on April 10, 1971.

He received his Associates of Applied Science degree from Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, OK in 1975 and began working for the US Civil Corp of Engineers as a surveyor. A few years later, moved into commercial roofing, working for CE Thain McAlester Roofing company.  In the early 80s, Gary, along with his brother-in-law, Denver Stipe, acquired CE Thain Roofing Company.  Together they owned and operated the roofing company until the mid-late 80s, when Gary sold his ownership of the company to his brother-in-law and began employment with the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in Savanna, OK.  There he worked in several different areas, ultimately retiring in 1992.

Gary became a 33rd Degree Mason with the Bedouin Shrine Temple as well as being a longtime member of the McAlester Elks Lodge.

While Gary worked hard over the decades, make no mistake, he played even harder.  He was an avid angler and spent most of his time trying to catch every large-mouth bass throughout the entire Southeast Oklahoma region, and he was pretty good at it.  Along with a large mess of fish to fry, usually included a tournament trophy to be proudly displayed.  And if that didn't keep him busy enough, he started and successfully operated two different fishing lure companies spanning from the late 70s into most of the 80s.  Spunky Bug Lures (his childhood nickname) and Jaw Break'r Lures were sold state-wide with Jaw Break'r Lures eventually being picked up by large retailers like Wal-Mart reaching a larger section of fishing enthusiasts.  Elk hunting became his equally loved hobby aside from fishing, and just like with fishing, he was quite successful, bringing in 800lb. Mules, some mounts so impressive, they found themselves on display in local Sporting Good Stores as part of their decor.  His favorite areas to hunt and fish were Colorado, New Mexico and even spanned to Canada and Mexico. He served as the President for the Pittsburg County BassMasters president

As retirement ushered in, Gary spent a lot more time outdoors in the summer tending to his garden.  Throughout his adult life, he always had a garden, and not a small garden.  Even on Oak Street, the garden would fill almost the entire footprint of the yard from fence to fence.  Once he moved to Shady Mountain, more space just meant more garden, providing every kind of vegetable you could want, while Monica would get busy canning most of it to then be shared with friends and family. Another hobby for him involved amassing a large collection of small-scale trains,  going so far as to convert their family room into a train room with tracks stretching from corner to corner, ceiling to ceiling also donning a wall to wall train mural, that Monica painted for him.  Lastly, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention his love of corvettes over many decades.

Survivors include his wife, Monica Ford, of the home; three sons and three daughters-in-law, Mark and Angela Calhoun, of Norman, Brent and Tamara Owens, of McAlester, Doug and Melinda Calhoun of Oklahoma City, one daughter and son-in-law, Jaime and Jeff Mincher, of Keller, TX; grandchildren, Saxon and Santana Calhoun, Ilissa Smith, Larry Owens, Tanna Parker and Aidan Owens, Danielle and Lydia Calhoun, and Jake and Julia Mincher. His mother Nancy Jameson, one sister, Carol Stipe, of McAlester. Uncles Foyl Ford, Frank Ford, cousins Marty Ford, David Ford, and Melissa Ford Blaylock, all of Lequire/Kinta area.  He was preceded in death by his father Abel, step-father, Jack Jameson, uncles Adam Ford, John Dee Ford, Wesley Ford, Thomas Duff, aunts Avie Ford, Alene Ford, Alta Ford, Abbie Ford, Gracie Ford, Robbie Ford, Ola Mae Parker, great-grandparents, Elmer and Alice Pelkey Ford, Thomas and Lorene McCarley Duff.