Gary L Burris II was dedicated to the fire service. He spent the last 19 years of his life serving the Gaffney Fire Department in South Carolina. He also dedicated 20 years to the Grover Volunteer Fire Department and spent some time serving with Kings Mountain Fire Department. His love for the fire service was like no other. When I married Gary, I married the fire service.

Gary had a love and passion for training. He was so respected as a fire and rescue instructor, as he taught throughout North and South Carolina in emergency services, as well as the private sector. He wanted to be sure anyone going into that line of work was going in successful and knew how to do so in a safe manner. He was very hard on the trainees and rookies, but only because he was so passionate about the job.

Gary left behind a wife and young daughter. He also left behind his mother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and the brotherhood. Gary loved his family so much. A perfect day was spending time together around the house, cooking out, and having bonfires. He loved to grill for everyone. He was the best cook! Gary was a jack of all trades. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do. If he couldn’t do it, he would figure it out. He was also very creative and could build anything. Everything he built was built to last.

He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He loved working out at the hunting club alongside his best friend and daughter, prepping it for the big season. Gary loved hunting with his little girl. That was their bonding time. They both looked forward to hunting camp every year. There is nothing like a father-daughter bond.

Gary left behind a legacy. He will be forever loved, remembered, and missed.