Gary J. Brackett, 72, Kansas City, KS, died Saturday, August 1, 2020. Visitation will be held from 1:00-2:00 p.m. with Funeral Services following at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5, at the Porter Funeral Home, 1835 Minnesota Ave. Kansas City, KS. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions are suggested to: American Diabetes Association.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Vernon and Edyth Brackett, 2 brothers, Bernon and Theodore (Ted) Brackett and his wife of 44 years Sara in 2015. Gary is survived by his sons, Michael Brackett and Chuck “Charlie” Brackett and husband Robert Garrett, daughter, Angie Hunter, 6 grandchildren, brothers, Keith (Jane), Smoky (Marcia), sisters, Edie Moulder, Betty Eidson and sister in law Lucille Brackett.
Gary born January 4th 1948 and was the last child of 7 to Vernon & Edyth (Warrington) Brackett of Lebanon MO. While in Lebanon he mowed lawns for extra money & hung around his brothers & childhood friends. He was born there but at a young age his father decided to move to Kansas City for steadier employment & paycheck in 1964. As a youngster he put model cars together and one of them won a contest-he kept it all these years.
They rented a house north of the river & Vernon went to work for Broadway Ford until retirement. His mother worked as a housekeeper while Gary’s job was going to school, not really something he enjoyed like most boys. Having 4 brothers and a father that knew auto mechanics, was much more interesting to him. Driving and hotrods was what he really liked. He spent much of his time at the drag strip when he got to tag along. Gary decided to join the Navy in November of 1965 in Kansas City Missouri. He traveled the globe seeing many places until his time was up in December 1968 and he came home. He worked a short time in a seafood restaurants in Boston, Massachusetts. He and his father went shopping for a new car and Gary found the love of his life, a '69 Buick Gran Sport factory experimental. Back in Kansas City, he went to work for Skelgas as a delivery driver, and was hired on at the Ford plant before finally ending up at Santa Fe Railroad as an apprentice carman in February 1970. Gary liked to socialize, enjoyed shooting pool so much that he had a custom made que, and spent most of his weekends doing that & dancing.
He and Sara met November 1970 at a "Saturday night Social" in Riverside, MO due to the love of dancing & music. They married July 1, 1971, making him the stepfather of her two children, Mike born Dec 3, 1963 & Angie born Aug 6, 1965. They purchased their first home near his work in Kansas and had a son they named Charles William November 9, 1972 after 3 great grandfathers. In 1977 needing a larger home, the purchased their second home on 64th Terrace where they lived out their days. Gary at one time owned 3 motorcycles, one of which he built taking a trophy at the cycle show before being involved in an accident that destroyed it. Gary enjoyed watching his favorite programs on television, spent much time mowing yards for the neighbors and helping out when he could. He enjoyed traveling to Lebanon to see family & friends and spent time lunching with other retiree's catching up on company news. At one time he belonged to the Moose Lodge where they could dance and be with friends & acquaintances. Being an insulin dependent diabetic since 1987 has taught him how better to deal with the disease and he was better able to educate others on the down side. Gary dealt with the draw backs as gracefully as possible. Gary (after 38 yrs at the railroad) & Sara retired in 2008 and once again remodeled for the last time.