My belated and sincerest condolences to the Baseley family on the loss of their precious Gary, a son, brother, uncle and friend. Gary was an industrious, creative, practical and tender-hearted man. I have fond memories in the 1970's of a tour Gary gave me of Mrs. B's Dairy Queen. Pride and commitment beamed from every pore as he shared his product and operations knowledge of the business. I will always remember when Gary asked (insisted) that I cut his hair one day. I really did not want to do it because I did not know how (and still don't)! Long story short, he never put a scissors in my hand again :-) I remember that he liked the band Deep Purple, very much and enjoyed being outdoors. I lost touch with Gary in the early 80's when I moved to Texas, but his friendship and kindness will never be forgotten. My condolences to all who knew and loved him. May your memories be a source of comfort and healing.

I met a woman on Saturday who looked familiar. After some discussion, it turned out that we both worked at Dairy Queen on Devon Avenue when we were teenagers. It dawned on me that I had had that same conversation many times with other people over the last many of years, and the common link was always Dairy Queen on Devon Avenue. This prompted me to look on the internet for Mrs. B, Faye and Gary. That is how I learned, belatedly, that Gary had passed away last June at such a young age.
I did not know Gary well, but I knew him well enough to look up to him, both literally and figuratively. He was a very kind gentleman who I greatly respected. I remember him fondly, driving that old white beater of a pick up truck through the neighborhood in Lincolnwood. I remember him helping his mother, "Mrs. B", out at the store, taking over when she or Faye were not available. He had a very gentle and kind way of managing people. I guess it runs in the family. Gary coined the phrase, "If there's time to lean, there's time to clean." It was a funny, respectful way to get a teenage crew to clean up when the shop closed at midnight. I remember Gary coming to the store with Farmers Market strawberries the size of grapefruits, offering one to me, saying "life is short." It sure is.
I have learned more from Gary, Mrs. B, and Faye on how to run a business and treat people right, than I have from four years of business school. The human element, that "the customer is always right," and to manage people with kindness and respect, are all but absent from the business schools, but were the hallmark of my business education from the Baseley's. I offer my sincere condolences to Mrs. B, Faye, and the rest of the family, and my gratitude for the very fond memories.