Gary Patrick Molyneaux was born October 4th, 1949, to John and Evelyn Molyneaux. He passed away in Eureka on March 27th, 2017, at the age of 67.

Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, Gary had many stories of childhood. He was an avid athlete, excelling in basketball, baseball and football, and earning all-state honors in high school.  A savvy businessman, he told fantastic tales of acquiring paper routes and lawn services, and then paying his brothers part of the wages to complete the work!  He was known to be a kind an caring son, brother and friend.

In 1966 he was drafted for the Vietnam war, eventually becoming an Airborne Ranger. He spent over two years overseas in Vietnam, becoming a very highly decorated soldier of the United States Army.  He earned a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with a Bronze Service Star, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Air Medal, Purple Heart and Silver Star for bravery and valor.  Upon returning, he relocated to the western United States.  An avid outdoorsman, he ventured throughout Colorado, Yosemite National Park, and Alaska.  He adored camping and fishing, and the serenity of the wilderness.  He was at home in the mountains and woods, a lover of nature and animals.

Gary had an incredible passion for sports.  He played semi-professional baseball for the Goldpanners in Fairbanks, Alaska.  He truly enjoyed talking about his pitching feats, especially his strategy of throwing the ball as hard as he could over the backstop during warm ups and telling the opposing batters, “I have no idea where the ball is going!” Later on he spent many, many seasons tearing up the adult softball diamonds of Humboldt County.  He volunteered in youth sports as a coach in both basketball and baseball, coaching his children as well as other youth in the area.  Countless hours were devoted to shooting hoops with his children in the back yard.  Not the type of person to “let his kids win,” his children learned quickly how to compete and play hard.  Almost every day after school included basketball games on the homemade dirt court and a large amount of trash talking!

Gary is best remembered for his sense of humor and highly contagious laugh!  A conversationalist by nature, he was one of the most social people to grace the community.  He could, and would, start up a conversation with anybody near him.  Forever a jokester, he never missed an opportunity to tell a joke or pull a prank.  People around him knew to always be on their toes and ready for anything.  He loved quizzing anyone present, family or stranger, with his homemade trivia questions and riddles, which were usually accompanied by friendly wagers.  Those who knew him were blessed by his ability to make people laugh.

A perfect night for Gary was often a barbeque with friends and family, accompanied by a bonfire and The Doors or Talking Heads blasting on the stereo.  He was the first to sit down to the kitchen table for a wild night of poker, preferring the old fashioned game of five-card stud.  He wasn’t a big fan of newer, more common games like Texas Hold’em, calling it a “kid’s game!”  Regardless, he bet as much as he could on every single hand, no matter what he had, and never knew when to fold’em!  These get-togethers were sure to include a conversation about his ultimate crush, Marilyn Monroe, and Gary’s assurance to everyone that she had the hots for him!  People who love Gary will always hold these memories dear to their hearts.  They were full of excitement, jokes and uncontrollable laughter.

Gary’s memories live on through his family; Yildez Molyneaux; his children and their spouses; Lani Rhea, Philis Martinez, Freedom Baptista, Sean Molyneaux (Stacie Molyneaux), Nicki Molyneaux (Daniel White) and Jessie Molyneaux, his grandchildren; Christian Rhea, Jesse Martinez, Angelica Martinez, Brittany Martinez, Julius Kim, Leilani Kim, Kaileaha Kim, Jeremiaha Kim, Elizabeth Baptista, Brian Baptista, Cheyenne Baptista, Trevin Parks, Maddux Molyneaux and Camden Molyneaux, as well as his incredibly close friends / adopted children, Michelle Lefebvre and Jesse Parks.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 1st, at the Ferndale Cemetery. Immediately following will be a ceremony honoring Gary’s life at the Ferndale Memorial Veterans Hall.  Family, friends and veterans are welcome to attend.

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The obituary above was submitted by Gary Molyneaux’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.