Gary Cripe

December 15, 1952 - February 13, 2021

Gary Edwin Cripe, 68, passed away on Saturday, February 13, 2021 in Provo, Utah as a result of pulmonary complications from Covid-19. Gary was known to those who loved him best as ‘Buck,’ a childhood nickname and nod to his toothy grin. He was born in Los Angeles, California at Queen of Angels Hospital, to parents James Lowell and Dorothy Gloyd Cripe and named after Gary Cooper, his vibrant mother’s favorite actor. He was raised, along with his three brothers, Steve, Robbie and Rick, in the idyllic, palm tree lined streets of Mar Vista, nestled between Culver City and Venice, California, where he graduated from Venice High School in 1971. Those early days found Gary pursuing his love of fast wheels and rock and roll. He and his friends loved to tinker with tools and instruments, even forming their own garage band, Thunder Creek. The hair was always flowing and the sun was always shining, a truly singular time to grow up on the coast. His love for his brothers and for his dear parents was as deep and golden as the California sun. Shortly after high school, Gary dutifully served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Alberta-Saskatchewan mission from 1971-1973. A decidedly colder climate than that of his origins, but a place for which he had great warmth and affection, and where he enjoyed enduring friendships. In 1974, he married the love of his life, Julie Kay (Biddulph) Cripe and they began their young family life together, pursuing education in the Los Angeles area, trying their hands at alfalfa farming in Delta, Colorado (complete with a favorite cow named Bossy), and welcoming their first two children, Brian and Angela. Mirroring his own father’s interests and career in medicine and genuine love of helping others, Gary moved his young family to St. Louis, Missouri in 1982 to attend St. Louis University’s (then-newfound) Physician Assistant (PA) program. Gary and Julie welcomed their youngest daughter, Carolyn, just before heading to the midwest. Upon his graduation in 1984, the family returned to Colorado where Gary worked in an orthopedic surgery practice before ultimately relocating and settling in Provo, Utah in 1986, where he was one of the first practicing PAs in the region. During their decades in Provo, they resided in the Edgemont area, where they enjoyed many years of raising their children alongside friends and neighbors. There, Gary continued his medical career, primarily with Cherry Tree Family Practice in Orem. Between 1999-2007, Gary found great joy and purpose in serving on various LDS high councils and as a bishop of the Brigham Young University 118th Ward. His time spent in these pastoral callings was some of the most rewarding of his life, and once concluded, he quickly sought to find new ways to offer his time and talents, serving as a volunteer medical practitioner for the uninsured and underprivileged. The determination to help others in need was a quality instilled in Gary by his parents through their example. Gary offered deeply personal and empathic attention to those struggling with addiction and those in recovery, a focus that factored significantly in both his professional and volunteer pursuits during recent years. The family wishes to acknowledge his own bravery and struggle and extends their sincere love and optimism for all who have experienced a similar journey. Gary also loved caring for those of the animal kingdom, enthusiastically greeting ALL neighborhood dogs (and extended family pets) with treats and happily volunteering in recent years with the Humane Society. Above all, Gary simply adored his children and grandchildren. Their progress and passions were always of interest and import to him. He was affectionate, funny, caring, uniquely perceptive, witty, and famously stubborn...character qualities that are reflected in his posterity. We will miss him fiercely, but take incredible comfort in the peaceful rest he now enjoys and in our faith that we will one day see him again, reunited with loved ones. Gary is preceded in death by his parents, Lowell and Dorothy Cripe, his brother Robbie, and his infant daughter Janet. He is survived by his wife, Julie; his brothers Steve and Rick (Lori Pierson) Cripe; his brother Dennis (Carol) Lockhart; his sister Martha “Marty” (Mike) Lane; his children: Brian (Whitney Smith) Cripe, Angela (Joe) Averitte; Carolyn (Billy) Palmer; and seven beloved grandchildren, Kylie, Charles, Donovan, Dawson, George, Kale and Oliver. Gary will be interred in a graveside service with family at Eastlawn Memorial in Provo. A memorial/remembrance event will be planned for a later date when it is safe for groups to gather. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Volunteer Care Clinic that was so dear to Gary’s heart, and where he volunteered weekly for over a decade, providing free medical care to the uninsured. To support the Clinic, please visit https://unitedwayuc.org/give/donate-now, select “General Donation” in the campaign field, and designate “Volunteer Care Clinic” as the beneficiary in the comments field.