Dr. Louis A. Gary, 70, of Collinsville, IL, born January 31, 1950 in Memphis, TN to the late Rutilious and Louise (nee Thompson) Gary, passed away Friday, May 22, 2020 in Maryville, IL. He was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Collinsville.

Louis grew up in Memphis during the Civil Rights Movement. He left the South as the first child from his family to attend college and studied Chemistry at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peters, MN. He went on to complete his medical degree and his residency in family practice at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He was board certified in family practice and board eligible in emergency medicine.

Dr. Gary's medical career spans more than 30 years, including private practice, nursing homes, hospice and hospital-based medical treatment. When he moved to the St. Louis area, he ran a private family practice including delivering babies in Staunton, Illinois. In 2002, Dr. Gary was practicing at Missouri Baptist Hospital, where his patient population was suburban, white and affluent when a friend started an emergency department and introduced him to a patient mix in Southern Illinois that was urban, predominantly black and poor. He fell in love with these patients who reminded him of his own roots. Louis served for 10 years as the director of the emergency department at Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville. He was also their hospitalist and the director of their medical detox program for alcohol and opioids. He was the medical director of Heartland, Unity, and Breeze hospice companies where he worked for 20 years. He ended his career as a nursing home physician in which he held medical director positions and cared for patients in 12 different nursing homes in the Metro East. Dr. Gary is known for his loving and caring bedside manner and his relationships with patients and their families. In 2014, he was selected as a recipient of the St. Louis American Salute to Excellence in Healthcare Award for his tremendous professional achievements in the community.

Louis, like his wife Julie, had a passion for sports. He enjoyed watching his children play football, basketball and soccer and run cross country and track. He was a St. Louis Cardinals, Memphis Grizzlies, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish season ticket holder. He loved finding and driving exotic fast cars and enjoyed watching professional racing like Formula One and 24 Hours of Daytona. He collected watches and loved shopping for shoes. He cherished sitting on his patio and having a nightcap and smoking a fine cigar. He was known for his quick wit, his infectious smile, and his kind and compassionate spirit.

In addition to his parents, Dr. Gary is preceded in death by his sister, Jeanette Gary; and his brothers, James and Charles Tucker.

Those left to cherish his memory include his loving wife of 16 years, Julie (nee Morris) Gary; sons, Anthony (Kim) Gary; Sean Gary; daughters, Tatiana Gary; Jordan Gary; step-sons, Isaiah Burns; Elijah Burns; grandchildren, Grant; Ella; Maia; Nicholas; Ari; and Quincy Gary; brothers, Lonnie Tucker; Christopher (Rosalind) Gary; sisters, Jacquelyn Miller; Margaret (Eddie) McLaurin; Sandra Jackson; Adell Martin; Mildred Ashford; dear friend, Rod Townsend; as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family.

The family will be conducting a memorial service to celebrate his life at a later date in the St. Louis Metro Area when it is safe to hold a large gathering. Following the service in St. Louis, Dr. Gary will be laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, TN after a private service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Dr. Gary's honor may be made to The Dr. Louis A. Gary Memorial Scholarship Fund which will be awarded annually to deserving college students in the St. Louis and Memphis areas who are pursuing nursing or medicine.

Herr Funeral Home has the honor of serving the Gary family. www.herrfuneral.com