We adjourn tonight’s meeting in the memory of a beloved Santa Clarita resident Gary Wurst.
Gary touched many lives as he served for decades in the Rotary International and with the Boy Scouts of America.
Gary epitomized the Rotary motto, ‘Service Above Self’. He was proud to be a member of the Rotary and rarely missed participating in service projects and fellowship activities, including Rotary conventions in both Munich and Thailand. He was best known as the historian of the club, always taking pictures, documenting club activities and creating elaborate scrapbooks.
It was Boy Scouts of America that had Wurst’s attention the longest. He became a Boy Scout at age 8, staying active as a teen while he attended San Fernando High School, graduating in 1955. He eventually achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He became a scoutmaster when his sons joined boy scouts, and he and his friend, Paul Travers, took charge of many Eagle Courts of Honor.
Gary Wurst was a bookkeeper who still, at age 78, handled payroll for a handful of friends. Relationships like those, along with a devotion to his wife of 35 years, Shirley, and their seven children, 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, were evidence of what he cared about most: people.
Anyone who was privileged to know Gary described him as a kind, generous, gentle leader. The community lost a great man but he left behind a lasting legacy – that of mentorship and a true passion of caring.
Our deepest sympathies go out to Gary’s wife, Shirley, there grandchildren and great-grandchildren in this difficult time.