Garland "Gary" Eugene Nash

Garland (Gary) E. Nash, 77, of Brighton, died Monday, August 22, 2022, at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. His body will be cremated, and no services will be held. The Beatty Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Gary Nash was born December 6, 1944, in Fairfield, IA, the oldest son of George and Dorothy (Lowe) Nash. He spent his early years on the family farm outside of Brighton. He went to the one room Riverside School of Brighton until he was 13 years old, and the family moved to Oelwein, IA, where he graduated from Oelwein High School in 1964.

In August 1965, he enlisted in the US Air Force and made that his career for the next 23 years. During his service years he attended many leaderships school and received an AA in Business Management and Psychology from the University of Maryland.

He was in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 at the time of the Tet Offensive and drove 44 convoys through enemy territory. He wasstationed in Texas, Oregon, Massachusetts, The Netherlands, Oklahoma, England, and Michigan. During his tour of duty in The Netherlands he met and on November 14, 1974, married Denise Snouck, a native of Heerlen, The Netherlands.

He retired from the Air Force in 1988 as AGE/ Transportation Superintendent, moved back to Brighton, IA, and built a house on the old family farm He subsequently worked for MacKay Envelope Company as an adjuster until 2003 and part-time at the Washington Walmart garden center from 2004 to 2010.

His big passion was his 1931 Nash 400 and restoring Allis Chalmers tractors. He was an expert marksman but never had the real heart of a hunter. He loved to go fishing and spend time at the Skunk River. He was also a keen archeologist with a great interest in Egyptian artifacts ad Roman coins. In later years he frequented casinos and enjoyed scratch off tickets.

He was not a big talker but loved to visit with others, listening and sharing about life.

He is survived by his wife Denise, his sisters Alice Nash and Wilda Bark, his brother Woody Nash, his nephews Todd and Jay, niece Tina, grandnephew Kristian and grandniece Maddie.

He was preceded in death by his parents.