Gary Lynn Eldridge

Gary Lynn Eldridge, 66, passed away on October 2, 2017. He was born June 28, 1951 to the late Loree Silvia Eldridge and Lawrence Miller Eldridge, Jr in Wharton, TX. Gary spent his childhood in Venezuela where a keen sense of adventure and a can-do spirit helped form his outlook on life. From the jungles of South America to the mountains of British Columbia, Gary, along with his brothers, Larry and Carl, always had the next adventure in the works. Gary eventually moved to Wharton, TX where he graduated from high school and later attended Wharton County Junior College. He was a proud graduate of Texas A&M University. On November 18, 1978, Gary married the former Leann Grider and together they raised three children and shared a love of God and family with them. Gary formerly co-owned Eldridge Air Conditioning with his brother, Carl. Gary’s hard work and dedication to his company, employees, and community will be remembered by those who knew him best. He enjoyed the engineering process and a job well done. Gary passed on his zest for life to his children and had great fun teaching them a love of hunting, fishing, flying, working and much more. Most importantly, Gary passed on his faith in the Lord. In addition to his parents, Gary was preceded in death by his brother, Lawrence George Eldridge. Gary is survived by his wife of 38 years, Leann Eldridge; sons, Lee Thomas Eldridge and wife, Kelly of Wharton and James Ross Eldridge and wife, Tracy of Virginia Beach, Virginia; daughter, Karen Van Houten and husband, Daniel of Columbus, Georgia. Other survivors include his brother, Carl Eldridge and wife, Janet of El Campo; Sister-in-law, Jacqueline Eldridge of Ferris, TX; grandchildren Kathryn Audrey Eldridge, Millie Anne Eldridge, Keaton Thomas Eldridge, and Evan William Eldridge. Visitation was held on Tuesday evening, October 3, 2017 at the Wharton Funeral Home. The funeral service will be held Wednesday, October 4, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Iago Federated Church with the Rev. Emil E Schmidt and Rev. Rick King officiating. Burial will follow at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Wharton. Serving as pall bearers will be Carl Eldridge, Lee Eldridge, Ross Eldridge, Ron Boerger, Don Erdelt, Bill Hastings, Wes Schmidt, and Daniel Van Houten. Honorary pall bearers are all the men of Eldridge Air Conditioning, both present and past. Funeral services are under the direction of Wharton Funeral Home. Condolences may be left at www.whartonfuneralhome.com.