Garry C. Gaylord

Garry Cass Gaylord passed away on the evening of Wednesday, March 5, 2025. He was only 62 years old. Garry was born in Queens, New York to Carolyn and Cass Gaylord. He went to school at Southside Senior High School in Rockville Centre, where he met and later married his high school sweetheart, Alicia Gaylord, on June 16th, 1984. During his high school years, Garry played upright bass for the school band, as well as electric bass in a band with his friends. He also played community hockey, was a member of the chess team, and frequently played Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.

Garry received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The University of Pennsylvania (‘84) and a Master of Business Administration from the College of William & Mary (‘89). After graduation, Garry and Alicia moved to Maryland, where Garry spent the majority of his career at Lockheed Martin, eventually retiring as the Director of Corporate Internal Audit. When he wasn’t working, Garry loved sharing his enthusiasm for classic rock, jazz, and science fiction series, as well as fact checking idioms. He retired in 2022 and planned to spend his time discovering new board games, traveling to National Parks, and spending time with his family.

Garry lived his life selflessly; he never spent time or money on himself but would do anything for the people that he loved. He spent most of his life not on his own hobbies or interests, but working to provide for his family so that he could give them the best possible lives. This never stopped, even when he was diagnosed with cancer. When asked what he would want to achieve after recovery, his first thought was to donate his time to help others who have recently been diagnosed. His passing has left a void in the lives of everyone who had the honor of knowing him.

Garry was an avid hockey fan, supporting the Philadelphia Flyers since he was a child. He would oftentimes tell stories about how he would listen to the Flyers games on whatever radio stations would reach New York City since their games were not broadcast in the area. He also loved running, having run several races with his wife when he was younger, and was working on getting back into the sport when he received his diagnosis. His goal was to run the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia this spring. Most of all, Garry enjoyed spending time with his family. It didn’t matter if his time was spent at home, on nature walks, or on trips to Europe; when he was around his family, he was happy.

Garry is survived by his wife, Alicia Gaylord, his daughter, Catharine Olszewski, and his son, Christopher Gaylord, along with his dog, Bandit, and grand-dogs, Bo and Milo. He also leaves behind his mother, Carolyn Gaylord, his sister, Karen Buckley, his nieces Katrina Bragg and Amanda Threlfall, and his great-niece Hayley Threlfall. Garry is preceded in death by his father, Cass Gaylord.

A visitation will take place from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at Donaldson Funeral Home of Clarksville, P.A. in Clarksville, MD. Interment will be at Parklawn Memorial Park in Rockville, MD.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to Hockey Fights Cancer .