October 7, 2009

Gary Paul Whaley, 65; a long time universal health care advocate and a former president of the national Community Research Initiative, Inc. died Wednesday, October 7th  in Fulton, NY.  Mr. Whaley was born in Oswego, NY and he had maintained homes in Fulton, NY and Washington, D.C.  Mr. Whaley was the great grandson of Mary Elizabeth (O’Toole) Meeker of Oswego, NY.  He was a graduate of Oswego High School and he served in the United States Air Force, having been stationed at RAF Molesworth, England from 1961 to 1964.  Gary had many years of experience in management, advertising, finance, marketing, and public relations within the health care industry.  He believed that the first step towards the solution of any problem is optimism.  He was always looking for new and better ways to solve the problems that plague society.  Gary would seek out people who were seizing opportunities others miss and improving systems inventing new approaches and creating sustainable solutions to change society for the better.  Joseph Epstein once said,  “All men and women are born, live suffer and die; what distinguishes us one from another is our dreams, whether they be dreams about worldly or unworldly things and what we do to make them come about…  We do not choose to be born.  We do not choose our parents.  We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing.  We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death.  But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live.”  Gary is survived by three brothers:  Michael Philo, Richard Philo, Neil Whaley, eight sisters:  Karen Ann Potter, Cheri Robertson, Linda Lancett, Katherine Pritchard, Deborah Connor, Annie Carpenter, Sandra Wendell, Susan Harrell, and Sherry Likougu, and several nieces and nephews.
There will be no funeral services or calling hours.  Burial will be held privately.  The Sugar Funeral Home, Inc., 224 W. 2nd St. S. Fulton has care of the arrangements.  Gary wanted to wish everyone “Happy Everything.”