Gary Dean Zarr

Family and friends of Gary Dean Zarr mourn the loss of their beloved husband, father, grandfather, teacher and caregiver on September 25, 2009.Born January 18, 1950 in Richardton , North Dakota , to Joseph and Lena Zarr, Gary met and married the love of his life, Priscilla (Thistle) Zarr, in 1969. In order to provide for his young and quickly growing family, he joined the Army in 1970 where he became a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and obtained his Masters Degree in Pharmacology at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. After detours through such diverse locations as Lawton , OK ; El Paso , TX ; Landstuhl , Germany ; Leavenworth , KS ; and Gaithersburg , MD , Gary finally moved his family to San Antonio where he later retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. His last Army assignment was spent instructing nurse anesthetists at Fort Sam Houston and Brooke Army Medical Center . Gary trained countless anesthesia providers, all of whom remember him fondly.After retiring from the Army in 1993, Gary began his civilian career as an anesthetist with Bay Area Anesthesia and Corpus Christi Obstetric Associates in Corpus Christi , Texas . There, he spent the remainder of his career providing obstetrical anesthesia for thousands of South Texas women, many of whom requested him by name due to his reputation for compassionate, knowledgeable care. Gary is survived by his mother, Lena ; his wife, Priscilla; his children, Shawn (wife, Martha) and Michelle (husband, Anthony Freeman); and his grandchildren: Brady, Cate and Emily.

Cemetery:
Funeral and graveside services are scheduled for 10:30 and 11:45 am, respectively, at Puente Sons Funeral Homes and Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Visitation:
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, September 29, 2009, between 6:00 and 8:00 pm, at Puente Sons Funeral Chapels, 14315 Judson Road .