RIP Gary McNabb

[scubaguy655]

Adam - you know your dad was a great man because he was your dad but I want to give you my perspective.

My wife and I were certified OW, AOW, Nitrox, and Rescue Diver by your dad all months apart. We live 30 minutes from Atlanta but drove 1.5 hrs to Chattanooga many many times to do business with Gary McNabb (not Leisure Time) because he had a passion for what he did and made his customers feel like family. I spent evenings with your dad during classes talking about different locations/dives finding myself jealous of the places he had been and dives he made. When my wife was buying her 2nd BC and was looking at a Zeagle your dad loaned her his personal BC for a trip we were going on so she could try it out 1st.............there is so much more.

To me Gary was a great guy for many reasons and I owe him a huge thank you for introducing my wife and I to something we both love and have carried on for many years since we first met him.

Over the last several years, I had lost touch with your dad only to read about this accident a few days ago. Words cannot express my sadness at the loss of your dad. In better times remember that he changed my life and that of my wife's by introducing us to his wonderful world and that my friend makes him a great man in my book.

Ken

 

[KathyV]

Friends of Gary McNabb have set up a donation site to raise money for his family to help pay his medical expenses:

Gary McNabb Family Support Fund by Barbara Brower - GoFundMe

 

[docdon1]

I was deeply saddened to hear about Gary. He and Clyde McDonald taught my wife and me to dive in 1985. I bought all of my SCUBA gear from him and he let me do refresher dives in his pool at Leisure Time in Chattanooga. He was a patient of mine several years ago. I practice medicine in Cleveland, TN. I considered him a friend and mentor. I will miss his easy going manner and ready smile. My deepest sympathies go out to his family.

 

[KathyV]

This was on facebook:

There will be a celebration of Gary's life Thursday April 23rd from 6-10PM at Stratton Hall, 3146 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN. From 6:00 - 7:00 will be a time to mingle with family and friends.. At 7:00 we will start sharing stories and experiences of how Gary has touched our lives or relaying funny stories, which will be at the discretion of the story teller. Please send us notice so we can put you on the list of people that would like to share. We are putting together a video so please share pictures of you and Gary so we can include them in the video. Also, share this with your communities that may not be on facebook but would like to be a part of this celebration. Email all responses to divetrips.garymcnabb@gmail.com

---------- Post added March 21st, 2015 at 11:03 AM ----------

Here's the obituaryObit | Gary McNabb | Times Free Press

Gary Randall McNabb came into this life on Feb. 5, 1952. He passed from this life to the next on Feb. 27, 2015, at 8:07 p.m. at the University Hospital of San Antonio, Texas after being airlifted from Belize. He was a Tennessee resident until October 2013 when he retired to Florida. He was preceded in death by his father, James McNabb; brother, LeBron McNabb; business partner and one of his best friends, James Lewis. He is survived by his mother, Anna Ruth McNabb; his wife, Frances Beasley-McNabb; and his children, Megan McNabb, Gary and Lori McNabb, Adam and Angie McNabb, Chad and Traci McNabb, Jonas and June Knight, Logan Knight and Dave Lopez; his godchild, David McNabb; 12 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; siblings include Gloria Marshall, Kathy McNabb, Bernice and Jackie Sexton, Steve and Angie McNabb, and Renate McNabb. Gary served his country in the U.S. Army from Feb. 11, 1969 to Feb. 15, 1973, with tours in Korea and Germany. In 1989 Gary McNabb and James Lewis purchased Leisure Time Dive and Ski on Brainerd Road in Chattanooga. James left this life before Gary and today they are in a joyous celebration of a sweet reunion. Gary was a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer for 27 years. His easy going manner, big smile and tender heart created a community of trainers and divers that will share stories of him through many life times. He touched Chattanooga with his participation in efforts like Tennessee River Rescue, his support of the CarribbeanSEA and Tennessee clean water projects, Big Brother/Sisters scuba training, and Chattanooga Dive Club and Chattanooga Ski Club. He lived a life worth living and his life ended doing what he loved with people he loved. A celebration of his life is in the planning stages and the date and location will be announced soon. "Timor Omnis Abesto" "Let Fear Be Far From All"

 

[logan_knight]

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There will be a celebration of Gary's life Thursday April 23rd from 6-10PM at Stratton Hall, 3146 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN.
From 6:00 - 7:00 will be a time to mingle with family and friends.. At 7:00 we will start sharing stories and experiences of how Gary has touched our lives or relaying funny stories, which will be at the discretion of the story teller.

We are putting together a video so please share pictures of you and Gary so we can include them in the video.
Email all responses to divetrips.garymcnabb@gmail.com

 

[logan_knight]

Please join us to share memories and stories; to laugh, cry and remember this special man.

Gary's Celebration of Life will be at:
Stratton Hall
3146 Broad Street
Chattanooga, TN 37408

Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm.
We will have music, drinks, light snacks and a slide show of Gary's life, family and friends.

If you have pictures of Gary that would like to share, please email them to this address - we would be very grateful to include them in the slide show. If the files are larger, please send us a message, and we'll direct you to a dropbox option.

We have a few moments for family and friends to speak. If you would like to be included in that group, please let us know at this email address as well.

We have posted been posting about this event to Facebook, to Gary's email contact list and a few dive boards. This event is open to all those who knew Gary, so please share with those who may not see electronic posts.

Thank you so much, and we look forward to spending this special time with you.

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