Gary D. Courter, 87, of Abingdon, passed away with his family at his side, on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, 5:40 PM, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center.
Gary was born on May 6, 1934 in Knoxville. He was the son of Lyle and Helen (Malm) Courter. On June 18, 1955, he married the love of his life, Betty D. Sluyter in Abingdon. Together they celebrated 65 years of marriage. Gary is survived by his wife, Betty, at home; children, Diane (Dick) Eaton of Berwick and Timothy Courter of Abingdon; grandchildren, Richard Eaton of Berwick, Elizabeth Courter of Galesburg and Amanda (Jarrod) Cunningham of Galesburg; and his four great-grandchildren, Jordan, Nevaeh, Jade and Londyn. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings.
Gary was a welder for Butler’s Manufacturing. He enjoyed going to the gun range, sport shooting, reading and watching westerns. Gary was kind and generous, he had a soft spot for kids and could always be seen handing out a dollar bill. He was known as “Everyone’s Grandpa.” Most importantly, Gary was a loving husband, father and grandfather. His grandchildren and later his great-grandchildren were the apple of his eye, he wore his grandfather title very proudly. Gary’s soft heart and kind personality will be missed by those who had the honor of knowing him.
Visitation will be held from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, on Sunday, June 13, 2021 at Hurd-Hendricks Funeral Homes and Crematory, Knoxville. Cremation rites will be accorded after visitation. Hurd-Hendricks Funeral Homes and Crematory have been entrusted with arrangements. Memorials may be made to the family. Expressions of sympathy may be left to the family at www.hurd-hendricksfuneralhome.com.
