Earle Edward Cary

Earle Edward Cary passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at age 89. Predeceased by his father Wilson Cary, mother Edwena Cary, and brother John Cary.

Earle is survived by his loving wife Patricia Kay Cary; sons Randi (Lisa), Mikel (Susan), Brett (Tina); grandchildren Steven, Steele (Stephanie), Ashley (Jon) Vermilyea, Samantha (Adrian) Schrell, Brandon (Sara), Brian (Amber), Matt and Alyssa Rice, great-grandchildren Emmitt (Josie), Jacob and Savannah Sims, Mason, Laylah; Johanna, Charley, and Emerson Vermilyea; Olivia; Levi and August Schrell; great-great-grandchild Dean Cary Houston; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

Earle was born on March 7, 1935 in Hayden, Colorado. He grew up on his family ranch where he enjoyed hunting and fishing as a child. Later, his family moved to Meeker, Colorado where Earle attended high school. As a Meeker Cowboy he was selected as his Student Council Vice President, competed on the wrestling team, football team, and in track and field prior to graduation. This is also where he met the love of his life, his wife of 67 years, Patricia.

He attended the Colorado School of Mines prior to transferring to Colorado State University to complete his undergraduate degree. He took a job at a government lab in Brawley, California before transferring to another lab in Pullman, Washington. Finally, he, Patricia, and their two boys at the time made their final move across the country to a United States Department of Agriculture lab on Cornell University’s campus in Ithaca, New York, where he completed his Master’s degree and they settled to raise their family.

Earle was one of the most amazing people to walk on Earth. Earle, Dad, Grandpa, Grandpa Cary, Grandpa Earle, and Gramps were a few of the names you would have heard his family call him. He has set the bar high for all of them to follow as a son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather.

He had a big, close-knit family that grew up in close proximity to Ithaca, New York. He always played an active role in his family’s lives, showing them what family is and what it means to be family. He was at every school event and every sporting event all of his children and grandchildren had as they grew up. Additionally, he attended all of his great-grandchildren's, events he could, even with a few of them scattered across the United States. It is not often that great-grandchildren have the opportunity to build relationships with their great-grandparents and for that we are extremely blessed.

Earle always had a smile on his face and was a great conversationalist. He could talk about anything. He loved watching sports, especially hockey and lacrosse. You could always find him at the men's Cornell University hockey games as a season ticket holder most of his adult life and at a handful Cornell lacrosse games each year too. As an organic chemist at a Cornell University research lab he loved to learn. He would walk through math problems with his grandchildren and encourage curiosity while flipping through Popular Mechanics magazines, looking at some of the newest technology and the possibility of future technology; most of which came to fruition and has been surpassed by the rapid technological advances of today. He loved tinkering around the house, working on cars (which he even taught his grandchildren to do), keeping his yard mowed, property presentable, and removing all the dandelions from his property each year (even the stubborn one that always seemed to re-grow about 10 feet off the ground in one of his oak trees). Earle left his family with countless memories of amazing times from playing mini hockey on the kitchen floor, to his yodeling, and infamous butterfly dance. Earle loved walking the creeks fishing, riding motorcycles, boating, camping, going on long (3 to 5 mile) walks ‘picking up nickels from the side of the road’, his weekly Sunday morning breakfast at the State Diner with Steve and Mary Slaght, and spending time with family. He and Patricia hosted the best Christmas morning breakfasts and innumerable chicken BBQ’s, family meals, and reunions.

Grandpa Earle made the world a better place and left big shoes for us to fill. His legacy lives on. We love you Grandpa. You will be missed by so many and will always be in our hearts.