GARY R. RUSSINKO

MEMORIAL DONATIONS MAY BE MADE IN GARY'S NAME TO: THE MIHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH AT www.michaeljfox.org OR TO: DONATION PROCESSING THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION P.O. BOX 5014 HAGERSTOWN, MD 21741-5014 VISITATION: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 2PM TO 6PM STICKLE-SOLTESZ FUNERAL HOME FUNERAL SERVICE: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 10AM MILTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 316 DOVER MILTON ROAD MILTON, NJ 07438 INTERMENT: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 FOLLOWING FUNERAL SERVICE MILTON CEMETERY 113 MILTON ROAD MILTON, NJ 07438 Gary Robert Russinko, of Northumberland, NY, a longtime resident of Jefferson Township, NJ, passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 11, 2022 following a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was 73. Gary was born in Passaic, NJ on June 26, 1949, the oldest son of Peter and Veronica (Wilk) Russinko. His fondest memories of childhood were the trips he took with his Uncle Walt (Wilk) in his 18-wheeler. At age 16, he quit school and took a job as an auto mechanic in order to help support his mother and two brothers. A couple years later, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, completing his GED and spending the entirety of his 4-year enlistment repairing trucks and anything else that broke down at Ellsworth Air Force Base outside of Rapid City, SD. It was while on leave back home in NJ in 1969 that he met the love of his life, Betty Ann, with whom he would spend the rest of his life. At a gathering for a mutual friend he ungracefully introduced himself by spilling his drink down the front of Betty Ann’s dress. It was love at first sight! Six months of exchanging letters and phone calls culminated in a flight to South Dakota for Betty Ann, where on August 1, 1969, the pair impulsively ran off to Chadron, Nebraska and eloped (since, at age 20, Gary was too young to get married in South Dakota). A telegram back home informed Betty Ann’s parents and two older brothers, who greeted the newlyweds upon their return with a shotgun in plain view next to the door. Luckily, the boys hit it off, and his new brothers-in-law introduced the “city boy” to country life, with many years of hunting and fishing trips, camping at Lake George, and weekends spent snowmobiling with extended family and friends to follow. Upon completion of his time in the service, Gary and Betty Ann returned to NJ, where Gary spent the next 20 years working as a mechanic at Hart Buick in Clifton, NJ. Daughter Laurie was born in 1973 and quickly became the apple of her father’s eye. She remained “daddy’s little girl” for the rest of his life. The family moved to Jefferson, NJ in 1974, where Gary spent evenings and weekends building the family a home with the help of friends and family. Countless more evenings and weekends were spent in the basement garage of the house, first working on the cars of friends, family and acquaintances, and later in life, as a woodworker, lovingly crafting beautiful pieces of furniture which his family and friends continue to treasure. After years of trying – and ultimately giving up – Gary and Betty Ann were blessed with a son, Gary Robert Jr., in 1985. From the moment he witnessed Gary Jr.’s birth, through helping him with his Eagle Scout Project, watching him graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic institute, and into his successful career as an electrical engineer, no father was prouder of his son. In 1989 Gary opened Woodstock Automotive, Inc. in the garage bays of a Mobil gas station in Stockholm, NJ. Together he and Betty Ann built a business that would survive two moves, put two kids through college, and support the two of them for almost 30 years, until Parkinson’s Disease made it no longer possible in 2016. The following year, Gary and Betty Ann moved to upstate NY to be closer to their children. They spent many happy weekends in Brant Lake, NY, in the years before and after their retirement, spoiling their granddogs and enjoying boat rides on Brant Lake, Schroon Lake, and Lake George. Gary leaves behind his beloved wife of 53 years, Betty Ann (Streelman) Russinko of Northumberland, NY, loving children Laurie (Russinko) Carr and her husband Jeremy of Mine Hill, NJ and Gary Robert Russinko Jr. and his wife Leah of Rexford, NY; brothers Russell Russinko and his wife Susan, and Richard Russinko and his wife Diane; brother-in-law Frank Streelman, sister-in-law Jean Altmann and her husband Paul, and nephews and nieces Lisa, Paula, Jody, Amy, Heather, Lisa, Kelly, Nick, Alex, Victor and Neva, as well as many other cherished family members and friends. The family welcomes visitors for a celebration of Gary’s life on Sunday, September 8, 2022 from 2pm to 6pm at the Stickle-Soltesz Funeral Home, 187 La Rue Road, Newfoundland, NJ 07435 (for GPS use 1 Post Place). Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 19, 2022 at 10am at the Milton United Methodist Church, 316 Dover-Milton Road, Milton, NJ with burial to follow at Milton Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made in Gary’s name to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at www.michaeljfox.org or: Donation Processing, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014.

GARY R. RUSSINKO

June 26, 1949 - September 11, 2022