More detail on this person: Lometa Mayor and
Municipal Judge Charles Michael McGarry Sr., 69,
died Oct. 25, 2007, at his residence after a long
battle with cancer.
Funeral services are Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. at Church of
the Hills in Lometa with the Rev. John Quigley
officiating. Burial will follow at Lometa City
Cemetery.
Visitation is Oct. 31 from noon to 3 p.m. at Sneed
Funeral Chapel in Lampasas.
Mr. McGarry was born in Streater, Ill., the son of
James Gordon and Helen Burns McGarry. He was
reared in Los Angeles, Calif.
In 1958, Mr. McGarry began a 31-year military
career with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee, Va., where
he met and after a subsequent tour of duty in
Korea, married his wife of 45 years, the former
Patricia Anne Gowdy of Richmond, Va.
After an assignment to San Antonio, he entered
basic helicopter training at Fort Wolters, Texas,
and in 1965, he completed training at Fort Rucker,
Ala., and received his aviator wings and was
commissioned as a warrant officer one.
After graduation, Mr. McGarry served consecutive
unaccompanied tours in Korea and Vietnam,
returning to Fort Wolters in 1967 as a chief
warrant officer and instructor pilot.
In 1969, Mr. McGarry began another tour in
Vietnam, and in 1970, he was reassigned to Fort
Rucker as senior tactical officer for the Army
Helicopter School. From there, Mr. McGarry moved
from aviation to Army logistics and served
consecutive tours at Homestead AFB., Fla., and
later to logistical assignments in Bad Kreuznach
and Kaiserslautern, Germany.
In 1983, Mr. McGarry was assigned to Fort Hood as
a member of the Inspector General Team where he
remained until December 1990, when he retired
from active duty as chief warrant officer four.
During his military career, Mr. McGarry was
awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal,
Air Medal with Numeral 7, Army Com- mendation
Medal with 2 Oak Leaf clusters, Good Conduct
Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam
Service Medal with one Silver and one Bronze
Service Star, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas
Service Ribbon with Numeral 3, Republic of Vietnam
Campaign Medal, Master Army Aviator Badge and
Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
After retirement, Mr. McGarry attended Central
Texas College and Tarleton State University,
earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
He was inducted into the National Criminal Justice
Honor Society.
He moved to Lometa in December 1999, and was
appointed to the Lometa City Council in 2001. In
2004, Mr. McGarry was named mayor pro tem and
served with the council until 2005 when he assumed
duties as the mayor and municipal judge.
He was re-elected in 2006 and held both positions
until earlier this month when he tendered
resignations based upon his health.
Mr. McGarry was a member of Lometa Lions Club,
American Legion Post 116 and Carmichael Lodge
No. 548, A.F. & A.M., in Enterprise, Ala.
Survivors include his wife of Lometa; sons,
Charles Jr. and wife, Monique, of Stockholm,
Sweden, James and wife, Memori, of Salado,
Patrick and wife, Amanda, of Nolanville, and Chad
Lyons, of Austin; a daughter, Mary Hicks, and
husband, Jimmy, of Bend; 11 grandchildren,
Caitlyn, Robert, Sara, John, Georgia, Kaitlyn,
Charlie III, Maximillian, Catherine, Hayden and
Ian; and a brother, James McGarry and wife,
Sandra, of Prescott, Ariz.
The family requested memorials be made to
Odyssey Health Care Hospice, 2010 SW H.K.
Dodgen Loop, Suite 201, Temple, TX 76504.
Arrangements by Sneed Funeral Chapel of
Lampasas.
Burial information: Lometa City Cemetery
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 10/23/2024
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