Gary Dwayne Oesterly

Gary Dwayne Oesterly, 80, passed away Saturday, April 13, 2019 at Moniteau Care Center, California, Mo. He was born on December 15, 1938, in Moniteau County, Mo., to Walter and Lorene (Baker) Oesterly. Gary attended Rock Island School in Moniteau County and graduated from California High School and Lincoln University. On January 16, 1960, Gary was married to Mary (Kiesling) Oesterly at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in California, and they later lived in Kansas City and Jefferson City, before returning to their hometown of California in 2003. Gary was a lifetime member of the United Church of Christ. He was a systems analyst for the Missouri Department of Social Services for over 37 years, where he made many lifelong friends. Gary was an avid fan of auctions and yard sales, and a collector of M&Ms memorabilia. He enjoyed taking his children fishing and gigging and hunting arrowheads and mushrooms on the farm. Many families remember Gary for the countless hours he devoted to coaching youth baseball and basketball. When not coaching, Gary treasured watching his children and grandchildren in their sports and other activities and enjoyed supporting community youth sports. He always made time to play cards, dominos, and other games with his four grandchildren and other family members. You would often find Gary swapping stories with the gang at McDonald's, drinking a senior coffee with three creamers, his own signature drink. Gary is survived by his wife, Mary, of the home; two sons, David (Becky) Oesterly and their son, George, of Jefferson City, and Jason (Amy) Oesterly and their children, Natalie and Ben, of Washington, Mo.; one daughter, Angela Oesterly of Jefferson City and her son, Thomas Durham, of Springfield, Mo.; one brother, Charles Baker (Martha) Oesterly; two sisters-in-law, Dorothy Oesterly and Margaret Oesterly; six nieces and one nephew. Gary was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Paul Oesterly and Ronald Oesterly; and two nephews. The family appreciates all those who visited Gary during his illness over the last five months. He enjoyed sharing stories about old times with lifelong friends and family. Visitation will be held at the California United Church of Christ on Thursday, April 25, 2019 from 1:30-3:30 p.m., with the Memorial Service following at 3:30 p.m. with Rev. Russell Cobb officiating. Inurnment will follow at The California Evangelical Cemetery in California, Mo. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the California United Church of Christ-Memorial Fund or the charity of the donor's choice. Online messages to the family may be contributed at www.windmillridgefuneralservice.com.