Gary Allen Shaner

Gary Allen Shaner, 85, died January 31, 2024.

A Memorial Service will be Thursday, February 15, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. at 1^st Congregational UCC.  Visitation with the family will be one hour prior at the church.  Burial will be at Hillside Cemetery in Merrill, IA.   Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel.

Gary was born March 18, 1938, in McPherson, KS, to Royal and Dorothy (Binger) Shaner.  The family moved often, mostly in and around Oklahoma.   Gary earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Rice University in 1961 and a commission in the United States Navy.   He earned an MBA from Oklahoma City University in 1968.  Gary married Anne Hauff on June 10, 1961.  They had two daughters.

Gary was an entrepreneur and inventor.  He began at Shell Oil Company as a petroleum engineer, owned an unpainted furniture factory, sold sporting goods, and designed and built the machinery for his silk screen printing business.  His hobbies were vegetable gardening, he was a master gardener, and fishing of all kinds.   Gary had many volunteer jobs after retiring at the age of 59.

He is survived by his wife Anne; daughters Janet of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Ellen of Sioux City; brother-in-law Steve (Sue) Hauff of Sioux Falls; nephews: Curt and Jerry Hauff of Sioux Falls; and cousin  Doris (Roger) Brannen of Manhattan, KS.

Memorials may be given to 1^st Congregational UCC or the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center in Gary’s memory.