Gary Burris

Gary Marvin Burris, USNR (RET), 81, of Matthews, passed away on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at his residence. He was born on October 10, 1943 in Kansas City, MO to the late Marvin and Hazel Burris of Harrisonville, MO. Gary is survived by his loving wife Gail Burris and their sons Greg (Stephanie) Burris of Marshville, NC and Garrett Burris of Charlotte, NC; granddaughters Katelyn of Monroe, NC, Abigail and Kinsley of Marshville, NC; sister Connie (Bill) Hodges of Jacksonville, FL; nephews David (Danielle) Hodges of Charlotte, NC and Mark Hodges of Jacksonville, FL; niece Lynette Williams of Overland Park, KS; great nieces Lina Hodges of Charlotte, NC and Emersyn Williams of Overland Park, KS; and great nephew Drake Williams of Overland Park, KS.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at Matthews United Methodist Church, 801 South Trade St, Matthews, NC at 3:00pm Monday, October 20, 2025.

Gary and Gail were married at St. Andrews Chapel at the US Naval Academy in June of 1965. Throughout their 60 years of marriage, they called several places home as his Naval and civilian careers required multiple relocations.

In May of 1961, Gary graduated high school in Harrisonville, MO. Following graduation, he entered the US Naval Academy, graduating with the class of 1965. He attended the Navy Supply Corps school in Athens, Georgia and the Navy Exchange Management class in Brooklyn, New York. His active-duty assignments were at the Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was the Assistant Navy Exchange Officer and Naval Support Activity, and New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was the Navy Exchange Officer. Following his resignation from active duty in 1969, Gary attended the University of Missouri where he obtained his MBA in 1971. He was employed in the mortgage loan department of General American Life Insurance Company where he began as a trainee in the Phoenix office for 1 year, later transferring to Denver for 2 years, West Palm Beach for 19 years, and finally to Northern Virginia for 9 years. He retired in 2002 as Regional Vice President of Conning Asset Management Company, which was a subsidiary of General American Life at the time.

Gary continued his affiliation with the Navy throughout his civilian career, serving in reserve billets in Phoenix, Denver, and the Florida cities of Miami, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. He was Commanding Officer of Advanced Supply Base 308 in Miami, Naval Supply Center Jacksonville 208 in St. Petersburg, and Naval Supply Center Jacksonville 408 in Miami. He was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Award for the latter two C.O. assignments. His final reserve assignment was at the U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa where he was the senior reserve officer in the J-4 (logistics) directorate.

Gary’s career at General American Life led to a variety of real estate education to go along with his 31 years of experience. He was a licensed real estate broker in Florida, Virginia, and New Jersey and a certified general real estate appraiser in Florida and Virginia. He earned the prestigious CCIM real estate designation in Virgina and the FLMI Life Office Management Association designation while in Florida.

In his retirement, Gary and Gail called Manning, SC home. For nearly 20 years they lived at Wyboo Golf Plantation where they enjoyed their retirement to the fullest. Together they shared a love for the game of golf. Gary was on the golf course daily, where he consistently shot a low score. He played in numerous leagues and tournaments throughout the years.

As an active member of the United Methodist Church, he shared his faith through his service to the church and community. Gary was proud of the country he served, and took pride in putting out American flags on the mailboxes throughout Wyboo Plantation every patriotic holiday for many consecutive years. In December of 2020, Gary and Gail moved to Matthews NC to be closer to family. In his most recent years, Gary resided at Windsor Run where he was loved by the incredible staff and had many friends wonderful friends there. He was an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan and was known for his friendly sports banter. Once following a Chiefs win, he went into the Administrator’s office, a known fan of the other team and left a Chiefs hat on his desk. Gary was also known as an expert in trivia at his residence, even winning a trophy. He watched Jeopardy daily throughout his life. In his later years, he loved reading books and relaxing in the sun.

“Surely goodness and your love shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Matthews United Methodist Church, https://onrealm.org/matthewsumc/-/form/give/now

Online condolences may be made at www.gordonfuneralservice.com

Gordon Funeral Service & Crematory, 1904 Lancaster Ave. Monroe, NC 28112, is honored to be entrusted to care for the Burris Family.