Garry Benjamin Cundiff, 83, passed away in Lake St. Louis, MO on March 25, 2026. His celebration of life will be Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Lost Creek Church (8002 S. Washington) in Stillwater, OK. Burial will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery. (13331 S. Redlands Rd, Coyle, OK) Garry's family would like to invite family and friends to Progress School House for lunch. Meal will be provided. Family visitation will be on Friday, April 3 at Strode Funeral Home in Stillwater from 5 to 7. Strode Funeral Home and Cremation is in charge of the arrangements.

Garry was born to Ben and Thora Cundiff in Stillwater, OK on June 24, 1942. Ten years later, siblings Vivian, Steven, and Joan would join him. He grew up on the family farm northwest of Perkins, OK which included milking cows, gathering eggs, plowing wheatfields, and helping plant large gardens. He attended 12 years of school in Perkins where he graduated in 1960. A big part of his high school was participating in the FFA where he was a member of several judging teams and winning the national meat judging contest in his senior year. He was a loyal fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and would often insist his younger siblings listen to the games with him on the radio.

He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University and served in the National Guard. In 1965, he would accept a job at McDonnel Douglas Corporation, an American aerospace manufacturing and defense contractor, in St. Louis where he designed components for fighter jets. His love of baseball and the Cardinals cinched his decision to select St. Louis as his new home. He married Carol Galimberti on October 2, 1971. He went on to get his master's degree at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. He retired in his early fifties, and he and Carol pursued a lifetime of travel and adventure. They purchased an RV and went to all fifty states, many national parks, and traveled to other countries. Although Garry enjoyed the big city life, he was usually drawn to the backroads, and you would often find him and Carol on the road less taken. He would often buy a book on their trips in the area, and he had an extensive library of locations they had visited. He was an avid reader and was particularly drawn to historical books.

Another hobby he enjoyed was genealogy. He and his sister Vivian would delve into the past of their ancestors in great detail. Garry and Carol would spend countless hours in courthouses, libraries, and cemeteries. He enjoyed fitting all the pieces together and kept a record of all their findings.

Garry lived an active lifestyle. He coached Steven's little league baseball team. He taught his younger siblings how to throw a baseball and catch a football. He enjoyed most sports and joined rugby, softball, and touch football teams when he moved to St. Louis. He played golf, volleyball, racquetball, and tennis. Every sport he participated in was met with a competitive spirit and he made every effort to come out on the winning side. He and Carol enjoyed bicycling and hiking with friends. It was not unusual for him to walk ten miles a day several times a week. One of his physical highlights was hiking Longs Peak, a 14,259-foot mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, with two of his buddies.

Garry was a keeper of the family stories. He enjoyed people and he stayed close to his Oklahoma family - his siblings, his nieces and nephews, and his many cousins on both the Cundiff and Bridenstine side. He was also attached to his St. Louis family. Carol was one of five sisters, and he enjoyed being a part of their lives and their extended families. He was a teaser and people were drawn to his humor. Garry was fun-loving and the life of the party. He will be sorely missed by family and friends.

Garry is preceded in death by his parents, Ben and Thora Cundiff and his sister and brother-in-law Vivian and Jerry Pinkerton.

He is survived by his beloved wife Carol of Lake St. Louis, MO, his brother Steven (Mary) Cundiff and his sister Joan (Dan) Hubbard all of Perkins. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews Jeremy Pinkerton, Benjamin (Stephanie) Pinkerton, Steven Pinkerton, Joanna (Gary) Shindler, Jordan (Samantha) Hubbard, Skyler Cundiff, Stephanie (Matt) Martin, Sabrina (Mark) Deveny, and Shelby (Tyler) Bane. He is also survived by 14 great nieces and nephews.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Oak Grove Cemetery, P.O. Box 187, Stillwater, OK 74076 or charity of choice.