Toft Funeral Home and Crematory
2001 Columbus Ave
Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: 419-625-8816
Website: http://www.toftfh.com
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Gary Michael McKitrick, 70, of Sandusky, passed away peacefully on the beautiful fall morning of October 31, 2021, surrounded by his loving family.
Gary was born in Sandusky on November 15, 1950, to the late Austin and Geraldine McKitrick.
He graduated from Sandusky High School in 1968 and joined the Army Reserves shortly after. He was honorably discharged in 1976. Gary worked at Sandusky Foundry for several years before opening Brandy's with his partner, Joe Arnold, in downtown Sandusky. He had a lot of great stories to tell about Brandy's and often shared his memories with us all. He eventually took a position at Freudenburg-NOK as a Maintenance Technician and retired from there in 2011. Gary was very dedicated to his job and took great pride in everything he did. He made many lifelong friends throughout his life and career.
Gary is survived by his children, Troy McKitrick of Huron, Melanie (Gregory) Carlson of Indiana, Katie (Alex) McKitrick of Sandusky, Christopher McKitrick of Sandusky, Kellie (Bruce) Kardotzke of Bellevue; 13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; sister Diana Wieber of Sandusky and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. In addition to his family, Gary is survived by his significant other of 16 years, Barbara Griffin, and his cats Dewey and Stinky whom he loved and cared for very much.
Gary was an avid Ohio sports fan who loved rooting for The Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns. He looked forward to Sundays that were spent watching football with his son, Chris. One of the many things he loved to do was cook for his family especially during the holidays. He hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas every year and made enough food to feed an army, always making sure there was something for everyone. He was known as a handyman who was always working on his house, tending to his yard, and fixing anything and everything. He spent a lot of this downtime watching his favorite tv shows with Barbara, babysitting his grandchildren and talking politics especially with those who did not share his views.
Gary enjoyed many things in life, but his greatest joy was being a "papa" to his grandchildren, Keegan, Jackson, Luke, and Lennon. Summers with them were his favorite. He spent his days playing with them in the pool, horsing around, getting his "butt whooped", as Keegan would put it, in basketball, and always making sure they had enough to eat before they headed home. Being with them is something he enjoyed more than anything. He had a special bond with each of them, especially with his buddy, Keegan, who was with his papa almost every day. Gary would do anything for his family and wanted nothing more than to see them happy and safe.
Gary was known for his unwavering stubbornness, one of a kind sense of humor and witty comebacks. He was deeply loved and will be forever missed by those closest to him.
In addition to his parents, Gary was preceded in death by his brother, Donald McKitrick and niece, Donna Muth.
At Gary's request, cremation has taken place and a private family burial will be held at Calvary Cemetery, Sandusky. Toft Funeral Home & Crematory, 2001 Columbus Ave., Sandusky is handling arrangements.
In lieu of flowers or donations, please consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine in memory of our father, Gary.
Condolences may be shared personally with the family or by visiting toftfuneralhome.com.
