Gary Wayne Hughes' Obituary
Gary Wayne Hughes, "Uncle Gary", passed away at his home in Owasso, Oklahoma on February 28th, 2025, after a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. He was 76 years old. Gary was born on November 22nd, 1948, in Dixon, Missouri to parents Roy Franklin Hughes and Lois Dean (Pendleton) Hughes.
He married the love of his life, Mary Lee (Longacre) Hughes on October 20, 1978, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gary graduated from Will Rogers High School in 1966 and from the University of Tulsa with a Bachelor's of Science degree in aerospace engineering. Gary worked for Maloney Crawford and Matrix Service, Inc, as a design engineer. He designed welded steel tanks used to store petroleum products. Gary was an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching football, hockey, baseball, and soccer.
He had a passion for card games and loved playing Rummy and Uno with his father and sons. This gave rise to the legendary moniker for Roy, POG, which stood for "Poor Old Grandpa", a phrase muttered whenever one of the boys managed to best the patriarch in a card game. He was also the consummate do-it-yourselfer, known for his unexpected and often comical results. Once, he replaced a radio in the family car, which went pretty well until the sun set that day, for when he went to turn on the headlights, they did not illuminate but the windshield wipers sprang into action! Another time he was installing a new attic fan and, unfortunately, it found a direct path from the attic in between the joists, through the ceiling, and into the living room floor. Eat your heart out, Clark W. Griswold! Then there was the time he was digging out a fish pond and, like a gold miner in 19th century California, he screamed out "Eureka!" as his shovel struck a buried telecommunications line. This occurred way before cell phones were invented, so we went several days without phone service.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents Roy and Lois. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Mary, his son Jeff Hughes and grandsons Tyler and Hudson Hughes of Phoenix, AZ, his son Scott Hughes and daughter-in-law Beth Hughes and grandchildren Will, Mia, and Tia Hughes of Owasso, OK.
He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Jack Longacre and wife Sandra Longacre, of Bristow, OK and their son, Craig Longacre of Tulsa, OK, an Aunt, Dorothy Hughes of Kansas City and cousins Kenny Hughes of Kansas City, Sam Hughes of Texas, Glennis Parker of Tahlequah, OK, Alice Lucas of Maryville, IL, and Cassandra Box of Rolla, MO.
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