Gary Richard Colegrove Sr. was born on November 6, 1939 and crossed over October 7, 2024. He is preceded in death by his mother Mabel “Mama Mia” and father Alfred “Top Gunner” Colegrove Sr., his siblings, Christopher Colegrove, Alfreda Pratt, Bryan Colegrove, Alfred Colegrove Jr. and Lionel Colegrove. He is survived by, his wife of 61 years, Kathy Colegrove, his children, Kimberly (Robby), Gary (Tonya), and Brandy (Wally), his grandchildren, Tristan (Cameron), Nanya (William), Ellen (Jarod), Andrew (Lexi), Loowyza (Chris), McKenna, Trinity, Alan, Anthony “Bro” and Walter III “Wogs”, and his great-grandchildren, Hayes, Harlowe, Jameson and a new little bundle of love still on their way.

To many, he was known as Geronimo, Angel, Soldier, but to those who loved him most, he was Dad and Papa Gary. He was born in the old Indian Hospital, on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, where he was also raised and attended school. Surrounded by his culture and his people, he was a proud member of the Hupa Tribe with Yurok and Quinault descent. He married the love of his life, Kathy (Lucas) Colegrove, the love birds celebrated 61 years of marriage this year, a testimony to the strength of his love. The love and adornment he had for his children shined through his grandchildren as well, his love never wavered. He had a good heart and was generous to a fault; he was spoiled in love and loved spoiling others, most notably his kids and grandkids. He was always picking up a little something and surprising you with it, whether something reminded him of you or he thought you needed a pick-me-up, he was always thinking of his loved ones. He loved cruising in his red truck with his wife Kathy and his dogs, Papa never left the house without at least one of them. He had a kind-hearted and gentle sense of humor and enjoyed making everyone laugh; you could always find him laughing and smiling with loved ones. He had a special bond with all of his grandchildren, giving them each nicknames that they’ve carried into adulthood, demonstrating his care for them and thoughtfulness. He knew how to make everyone feel special with ease, loving was second nature to him and we are all so honored and blessed to have been loved by him.

Throughout his life he has had many careers; he worked in the logging industry, at Senior Nutrition delivering lunches to elders, and retired at Kima:w Medical Center as Maintenance Supervisor. Each job brought him fulfillment in different ways; he enjoyed working in the woods with the down to earth hardworking souls like himself, or when he delivered lunches to the Seniors of the Hoopa Valley, he had many enriching conversations with elders that he carried with him throughout his life. Oftentimes after his shift he would stop again on his way home for a quick visit to check back in with the elders he had a bond with; he valued and admired all of the time spent with them, listening to and learning their lessons and stories to pass on. At Kima:w Medical Center, as a natural caregiver and genuinely thoughtful person, he used his “Injunuity” and problem solving to take care of everyone’s needs. In each position throughout his life, he made many lifelong friends.

He traveled to many places including Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Park, the Grand Tetons, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Grand Canyon, the Skywalk, Monument Valley, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, and went on a cruise ship to Alaska (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria BC). He has also traveled all over the West Coast from northern Washington and Idaho to San Diego visiting family and enjoying the sights. When he was younger he enjoyed trips to Reno with his wife and Inlaws. They would bring back all the kids a silver dollar as a souvenir; it was always the little thoughtful things like this, he always made sure to do, that reminded you he was thinking of you and loved you even when he was away.

Over the years he created regalia, participated in ceremonial dances and supported the ceremonies. It is with great honor and pride we look forward to watching the regalia he has crafted, dance with the generations to come, knowing the amount of love and good medicine placed into them. Most recently he created a new retirement hobby of making hand split cedar Xontahs’ to include hat racks, key holders, mirrors with key holders and ornaments. He took the time and effort to make sure all of his kids and grandkids had individually crafted pieces for their own homes to cherish for years to come. He enjoyed spending time outdoors, gathering traditional foods and a good drive in the mountains. He was a hunter, fisherman, and adventurer. He had stories for days about his travels and the predicaments he would get into. He loved to camp most summers with his family; he would spend all summer up Box Camp or at the bridge at Pine Creek, driving to work everyday from those locations.

For a short period of time in his childhood he was raised with his grandfather and grandmother and gleaned a wealth of knowledge from them, including the invaluable knowledge of speaking in Hupa and Yurok language, as both grandparents were speakers. Being with his grandparents was a special time in his life, he often shared and spoke the same languages with his kids and grandkids. Along with many other phrases he used daily, he used dongq’a’-tsit, “hold on”, to slow life down and enjoy the moment.

He enjoyed his daily trip off Bald Hill for his fountain pepsi returning home to read the San Francisco Chronicle. He preferred old western movies and the sports channel for the ball-games, olympics, etc. He also enjoyed traveling to ball-games to support his kids or grandkids in whatever sport they were up to at the time, all he needed was his Bepsi and his paper for the road and he’d be sure to show up no matter how far or long you played. He was always our #1 fan in life, in and out of sports, he rooted and supported us more than we could have ever asked for or deserved. He was a movie connoisseur of all genres, in the earlier portion of his retirement, you could find Papa with a bowl of ice cream in front of the flat screen in the sunroom geared up for a movie-marathon, and you were always welcome to join. One of his favorite actors was Chief Dan George, he purchased and watched every movie he could find with him in it. He was fond of the Louis L’Amour novels and old country music. His all time favorite pastime was listening to native singers at ceremonies. He truly enjoyed and appreciated all the singers, just know you made his day.

With a life crafted through these lessons, stories and experiences he gracefully taught his children and grandchildren the ways of the world through the eyes and heart of a kind man. We are eternally grateful and will carry his love with us forever. Gary leaves behind many loved ones; he loved his family, his culture and his community.

Pallbearers: Andrew “Roo” Stephens, Walter “Wogs” Morton III, Alan & Anthony “Bro” Bennett, William Kerr, Jarod Fullerton, Robert Hunter Jr., and Cameron Boyce.

Graveside services were held Saturday October 12, 1 p.m. at the Colegrove Family Cemetery on Pine Creek Rd., Hoopa. 

He truly loved his Hupa community and everything about it, rest in peace Papa.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Gary Colegrove loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.