My brother Gary Zajac was born May 18 1952 and passed Feb 7th 2018 from Mantles Lymphoma. He has left his wife Carolyn, and his father Leo Zajac and Brothers Barry (71) Ron (72) Joan (75) Carole (77) and Rob (83). Mom went to be with the Lord on 1994. Gary lived in S FL for about 40 yrs. He and Carolyn were married 25 years. You can see a memorial page to honor Gary on facebook. It is entitled "Your friend and mine, Mr. Z". Feel free to visit and share a memory and enjoy the pictures and stories.  Sorely missed and loved, submitted by the sister he called "Joanie".

Here’s a photo of me , GARY , and JOHN , taken June 17th 2017.  When he called around Christmas inviting me to go with him to go see Don Garlits March 10th , which he or me did not make.  Now I know why, “Bucket List”.  A friend from 1st grade that is missed. 

Here’s a photo of me , GARY , and JOHN , taken June 17th 2017.  When he called around Christmas inviting me to go with him to go see Don Garlits March 10th , which he or me did not make.  Now I know why, “Bucket List”.  A friend from 1st grade that is missed. 

Here’s a photo of me , GARY , and JOHN , taken June 17th 2017.  When he called around Christmas inviting me to go with him to go see Don Garlits March 10th , which he or me did not make.  Now I know why, “Bucket List”.  A friend from 1st grade that is missed. 

Here’s a photo of me , GARY , and JOHN , taken June 17th 2017.  When he called around Christmas inviting me to go with him to go see Don Garlits March 10th , which he or me did not make.  Now I know why, “Bucket List”.  A friend from 1st grade that is missed. 

Here’s a photo of me , GARY , and JOHN , taken June 17th 2017.  When he called around Christmas inviting me to go with him to go see Don Garlits March 10th , which he or me did not make.  Now I know why, “Bucket List”.  A friend from 1st grade that is missed. 

Gary was my oldest friend and the first kid I met after my parents moved to Redford from Garden City in 1959 - he lived the next block over from me on Olympia - one time in second grade I was on a seesaw with Gary on the playground at Stuckey School, and when I was up in the air, I fell off and broke my wrist - he told me that the same day I fell off the seesaw someone ran into him coming around a corner in the hall in school and crashed into him, cutting his lip and he needed stitches, he always said "I guess I got paid back for you falling that day"! - we always laughed about that every time we saw each other. It was at Gary's parents home that I saw the moon landing in 1969 on the little black and white TV that was sitting on the counter in the kitchen as we were heading out the door to go somewhere, he came from a large family and I knew his mother who was a sweet, loving woman pretty well. I admired many things about Gary, but most of all his true compassion for other people, his sense of fairness, his principles, morals, ideals, and beliefs were character traits from which Gary never wavered and he was passionate and very articulate about these things when we talked about them - I can still see in my mind's eye his set jaw and resolute countenance when his principles were tested by other people, and how he stood by them always in a non-threatening, non-violent way, when others might have wavered and given in, and it is one of my favorite memories of him. We both shared an insane love of music with each other - I remember when he went to the first Ann Arbor Blues Festival in about 1969(?) and he told me about how blown away he was by blues music - a few years later, he became a much beloved and respected blues ethnomusicologist and aficionado who was the host of a well known blues radio show that was broadcast from a public radio station in the Cape Canaveral Space Coast area where he lived since the late '70s - he had an incredible, encyclopedic knowledge of blues music and knew many famous blues musicians personally - he liked R&B too and he was delighted when I told him that Louis Jordan was my favorite R&B singer and writer because Jordan was his favorite too! Gary gave back in many ways to the community city and place where he lived and was an excellent citizen. I was fortunate enough to visit Gary and his beautiful wife Carolyn, who is a wonderful woman, at his home once in Florida while on a business trip in about 1998 and I'll never forget the good time I had with there with them. The last time I saw Gary was about three years ago when he came back to Michigan to visit his father - I met him at the motel where he was staying and when he saw me he said "My old friend!" and he asked me if I would mind driving him over to the old 8 mile neighborhood where we grew up, and then we went around the semi circle drive at RU, and on down Kinloch to Lola Valley Park and all the areas we used to hang out when we were young kids at Pearson Jr. High and HS kids at RU - we ended up at Bell Creek before I took him back to the motel - it was at Bell Creek that he told me he was in remission from cancer and i was shocked because he never told me he had it until then - I think when he saw how concerned i was that he decided to soft peddle it so i wouldn't worry as much about him and he made me feel like it was all under control - that was the last time i saw him and it brings tears to my eyes that I'll never see him or hear him speak in that mellifluous voice or hear that distinct little laugh again. Gary and I had a bond that was never broken through the years because I was one of his buddies from the old neigh borhood that was still there along with the other guys we both knew from the neighborhood and Jr. High and HS that he was close to and remained close to throughout his life - after he moved to Florida in the '70s and I got married and moved to New Hampshire in the eary '80s, we rarely saw each other, but we kept in contact by phone or in other ways. Gary was truly a one-of-a-kind person, there will never be anyone like him again, at least in my life there won't be - He will always be one of the truest friends I've ever had, and I'll never forget him for his loyalty, honesty, integrity - he will always be in my heart and mind, God Bless You my brother, you were loved by many people including me.