Dr. Gary C. Wanamaker's Obituary
Dr. Gary C. Wanamaker,of Fountain Hills, Arizona, a chiropractor, died at home on April 29, 2011. He was 64 years old.
Gary Clyde Wanamaker was born in Yale, Michigan in 1946 to a loving family with roots in Sanilac County. His family moved to St. Clair when he was 9 years old and he graduated from St. Clair High School in 1964. After volunteering and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam, he was honorably discharged from the Air Force and married Pamela Ann Felter of St. Clair, Michigan in 1967.
Dr. Wanamaker received an academic scholarship to study pharmacy at Wayne State University, but decided that he wanted to teach youth and graduated with honors from Oakland University in 1977. After graduation, he accepted a teaching position in Pontiac, Michigan. During this time of his life, he taught science and established Pontiac Northern High School’s first girls track and cross-country team. While he loved teaching, coaching, and mentoring inner city youth, he felt compelled to be nearer to family and friends, and returned home to St. Clair in 1980.
After a short stint in Armak Tape’s chemistry lab, he joined the Detroit Edison Company. One of the most joyful and challenging times of his life was working as a chemical engineer during the construction and start up of the Belle River Power Plant. However, in 1991 he decided it was time for a new challenge and he returned to graduate school. Dr. Wanamaker found great joy in education, and graduated as the salutatorian of the 1995 chiropractic class of Life University at the age of 49. He then moved to Waynesboro, Virginia and established a private practice. However, Gary and Pam felt their heartstrings pulling them back to Michigan to be near family, and they established a chiropractic practice in Grand Blanc, Michigan in 1997. Dr. Wanamaker worked passionately to promote and foster greater understanding of the discipline of chiropractic. In 2004, in lieu of his contribution to the field of chiropractic, Life University honored him as an Inaugural Fellow of Life University. Dr. Wanamaker lived life to serve others, and greatly enjoyed his patients and his thriving chiropractic practice until 2010, when his personal battle against illness forced a premature retirement upon him.
His death came suddenly, but after a long and hard fought battle. He is survived by his wife, Pam of Fountain Hills, Arizona; his mother, Ida Wanamaker of St. Clair, Michigan; a sister, Linda MacDonald of Atlanta, Georgia; a brother-in-law, Don MacDonald of Atlanta, Georgia; a nephew, Derrick MacDonald of Atlanta, Georgia; a son, Dr. Keenan Wanamaker of Fountain Hills, Arizona; a daughter-in-law, Helen Wanamaker of Fountain Hills, Arizona; three grandsons, Connor, Taylor, and Liam; and one granddaughter, Kayla. His father, Gerald Wanamaker and sister, Brenda Wanamaker, preceded him in death. The family will receive friends at the L.C. Friederichs & Son funeral Home, St. Clair, Saturday from 12 noon till 4 PM when a memorial service will be held.
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