AGE: 53 • Albuquerque, New Mexico
Gary L. Rempe II (aka “Big G”), 53, passed away peacefully on Sunday September 24, 2017, at home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after a valiant battle with cancer.
Though he left young, he lived a life overflowing with family, friends, and spectacular adventures.
He was born in North Platte, Nebraska, to Gary and Kathryn Rempe on July 22, 1964,
Gary was the second oldest of four children.
Gary spent his vibrant, curly-headed youth in the gorgeous Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.
He worked hard raising livestock for 4H projects, fixing roads for the highway department, and pursuing academics and sports at school.
He cherished the many adventures experienced growing up with his brother and sisters, including building a stone castle in the 100 acres of forest behind the family home.
Gary led his high school class as its President for four years, co-captained championship football and basketball teams, and enjoyed singing in choir.
In his senior year, he was selected as a bass in the prestigious All New York State choir.
He also played the lead character in the musical, Bye, Bye Birdie.
His early hard work and success paid off when he was one of the first students from his high school to attend an Ivy League school: Columbia University in New York City.
At Columbia, he played Division IAA football and lettered three years, earned his degree in History, and proudly graduated from the United States Marine Corps Officer’s Candidate School.
Gary was also one of the earliest members of the Columbia kayak club, which initiated his lifelong passion for whitewater kayaking.
His junior year he met Susan Beamis as Halley’s Comet passed overhead and they fell in love.
Susan and Gary married shortly after college graduation in Orwell, NY, and raised four beautiful and accomplished children during their 30 happy years together.
Following college, Gary started his career by driving a beat-up car around the US with his new wife.
He became skilled in car repair and met many members of his extended family on that trip, including the fun-loving Rempe cousins in Texas.
The trip started in New York State, and ended when the car broke down and the money ran out in Montana.
He and Susan then earned a living teaching private music lessons and substitute teaching.
They spent their free time hiking all over Glacier National Park, competing in triathlons and learning watercolor painting, black-and-white photography, and sailing. Gary also took up woodworking in his father-in-law’s garage in Kalispell, Montana, and made most of the furniture in the family home today.
Gary wrote a critically-acclaimed and award-winning health and fitness book in addition to cover stories for leading magazines such as Good Housekeeping, McCalls and Shape magazine after graduating with a Masters in History from the University of Montana.
Later, he became an avid serial entrepreneur and founded Zeplin Media with the Chairman of Time Warner and founder of MTV.
He also founded Alta Capital, a renewable energy mergers and acquisitions firm, and Zummit Labs, a software company using artificial intelligence to improve the mobile commerce experience.
More recently, he and his wife co-founded Memzyme, Inc., a company focused on clean energy.
Gary loved music and was lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist for the political punk band UNDOit. One of the songs he wrote won rhird place in a highly competitive Billboard Magazine songwriting competition and achieved more than 300,000 digital plays.
A passionate outdoor adventurer, Gary especially enjoyed whitewater kayaking and backcountry skiing with his wife and friends.
In 1993, Gary successfully executed a first descent of Silver Creek in Washington along with a group of fellow kayakers. He also enjoyed the FIBArk whitewater festival in Buena Vista, Colo., and often entered the Boater X competition in his play boat and the raft rodeo in a toy raft.
Gary was renown in the boating community for his dedication to surfing every wave, big or small, and squirting down every eddy line.
When his children grew older, Gary patiently taught every one of them to kayak and backcountry ski so they could share his joy of the outdoors.
Gary took great pride and pleasure in paddling and skiing with his entire family throughout the wilds of New Mexico and Colorado.
Gary loved travel, especially when accompanied by water sports. One of his all-time favorite memories was when a humpback whale breached 40 feet into the air just 30 yards from him and Susan while they were boogie boarding in Maui.
He also never forgot snorkeling with enormous whale sharks in Cancun, Mexico or dodging avalanches while hiking in New Zealand. He also loved an annual whitewater trip he did with his friends and family for 17 years through Westwater Canyon of the Colorado River.
Gary will always be remembered for his quick wit, wonderful sense of humor and big laugh, his business and community leadership, intelligence, loyalty to family and friends, kind blue eyes, and his ardent love of history and playing all manner of games.
Gary loved his family and friends and was loved in return. He knew when to take life seriously and when to have fun. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. His spirit will live on through our shared stories and laughter.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Susan Rempe; and children, Caroline, Gary Philip (and wife, Molly), Greg, and Clara.
Gary is also survived by his mother, Kathryn Rempe of Orwell, NY; and siblings, Patience Rempe of Syracuse, NY, Mark Rempe (and wife, Kendall) of Mechanicsville, Va., and Suzanne Griggs (and husband, Mike) of Nashville, Tenn.
Assisted by his mother-in-law, Cheryl Ward, Gary delivered three of his children; the last one in a hospital when the professional staff was too busy to help!
A memorial service and celebration of Gary’s life will be held in a place dear to Gary and his family for hosting many of their kayaking and skiing adventures — Buena Vista, Colo., on November 4, 2017.
The family requests stories in lieu of flowers.
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I am heartbroken after reading this and am shocked at the same time. I want to be sure this is going to post before I elaborate to much as the first time after pouring out my heart, it did not post.
I am so sorry to hear this. I remember Gary as a handsome and friendly young man. He was always cheerful and polite. Hugs and prayers to the entire family. ?
I was shocked to read this and am heartbroken. Gary and I dated in high school our junior year and went to the prom together. It was he and I along with his brother Mark and my best friend Renee. I have pictures still in my high school photo album of us with his dark blue tux and bow tie and my light blue long gown. We looked happy and innocent as we were and had big smiles on our faces. I remember one night after we’d gotten home after our sport’s practices- he Football and me Soccer, we wanted to see each other. We both left our homes and jogged towards one another until we met up on the side of the road. It was probably 2.5-3 miles for each of us to jog and we likely did so in record time. We only visited maybe 15 minutes but it was worth the hug and kiss. I have several pictures of him from when we went on our senior trip to Washington as well. Our class was close and we all got along so we all had lots of fun. He was class president Senior year and I was class secretary. We were both in Bye Byeb Birdie although he had a much bigger role than me but it was so much fun acting. We were both in Chorus and I always loved listening to his deep bass voice., it was so awesome sounding. My heart goes out to his immediate family and his family at home. I always thought a lot of them and am grateful to have been a part of their lives and to have gotten to know his mom more at church over time. To me, she’s like a walking angel who had always been a prayer warrior and so kind. I pray that all of you heal with full hearts knowing you all played a part in the successful, fun loving man he became. I couldn’t be more proud of what I read about him.