Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost in “Nothing Gold Can Stay” reminds us that life and all the beauty within it is fleeting, so take a moment and make a memory that you can hold on to. Now we take many of those memories we shared with Gary Brandt and hold them close as he passed into another realm on Friday, October 13th, 2023. Gary was a father to two sons, Eric and Craig, whom he loved deeply. He was a computer whiz and spent his career of 42 years in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering where he did everything from working on super computers to the development of software to monitor an ECG and analyze a patient's heart data. One of his favorite people in this world was his younger sister Wendy who he enjoyed spending time with in his later years. While Craig and his wife Katie happily provided him with grandogs, his son Eric and wife Krista blessed him with 3 beautiful grandchildren. Gary was an active member in his community and was loved by so many. He spent his golden years of retirement as an active volunteer with the Hoodland Fire District #74, where they appreciated his dedication, goofiness, and mad computer skills. Gary was also an active volunteer at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center (ORHC) and was passionate about all things trains. He was a man with many hobbies. He loved the outdoors and was an avid hiker with one of his favorite places to hike being Yellowstone National Park. His career in computer science turned into a hobby later in life restoring old PCs and in his later years took up the world's most popular hobby of philately. So as you reflect on Gary’s story, take a page from his book and be an active member of your community, take a hike, learn how to make an excel spreadsheet, rebuild that 90’s computer sitting in your garage, and as serious as the world can be, keep things light. Now he rests with his little furry buddy Nemo.
Gary was preceded in his passing by his parents, Heinz and Irene Brandt. He will be loved and missed by his sons Eric (Krista), Craig (Katie), grandchildren Maddie, Flynn, and Cora, sister Wendy (Steve) Veith, nephew Andy (Danielle) Veith and niece Ruth (Matthew) Schleis, other relatives, friends, and his Hoodland Fire Station and ORHC families.
Love you Gary, a send off in binary: 01001100011011110111011001100101001000000111100101101111011101010010000001000111011000010111001001111001.
The family asks in lieu of flowers, if you would like to honor Gary’s memory, please consider a donation to the Hoodland Fire District #74 and/or Oregon Rail Heritage Center in his name.