September 20, 1950 – May 16, 2024
Gary Petik, 73, of Brookings, formerly of the Meadow, area, passed away on Thursday, May 16, 2024 at the Brookings Healthcare System Hospital in Brookings.
Funeral services for Gary will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 24, 2024 at the Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lemmon. Pastor Charlotte Kvale will officiate, with burial to follow in the Hillview Cemetery at Isabel.
Gary Lee Petik was born September 20, 1950, in Lemmon to James and Pearl Petik. He attended White Deer Country School and Lemmon High School, where his activities were wrestling, football, rifle club, and 4-H. He earned his Private Pilot Certificate at age 17.
After graduating from high school in 1968, he attended Kansas State University, studying pre-veterinarian, and South Dakota State University, where he graduated in 1972 with a B.S. in Agriculture and a minor in Range Science. While at SDSU, he enlisted in Army ROTC, completed Ranger School, and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. He remained in the Army Reserve until February 1987, retiring with the rank of Captain.
Gary and Crismarie Stein were married in Lemmon on Jan. 29, 1971 and continued attending SDSU. Upon graduating, they returned to the family ranch near Athboy.
In the fall of 1989, Gary retired from ranching and moved the family to Brookings, returning to SDSU, completing a master’s degree in Range Research with a minor in Statistics. He accepted a position with the U.S. Forest Service as Range Supervisor with the McKenzie Ranger District in Watford City, ND where he worked for 23 years and was active in the Society for Range Management, retiring in October 2013.
He will be remembered by his family for his work ethic, integrity, determination, intelligence, sense of humor and instilling a love of aviation and rock climbing in his three sons.
Gary is survived by his wife Crismarie; sons Neil (Barney, ND), Lyle (Wichita, KS) and Wil and his wife Jaclyn (Moorhead, MN); five grandchildren: Sophia, Evelyn, Lucy, Vas and Valerie; brothers Oliver, Jerry, and Jim H., and sister Shirly.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Pearl, and aunt and uncle, Sylvia and Rudy Petik.
(Crismarie Petik’s address is 521 17th Ave S, Brookings, SD 57006)