Gary Wilner Cahill

Gary Wilner Cahill passed away peacefully at his home in Trinidad, CA on January 10, 2017. He was born on April 11, 1944 in Los Angeles, CA. He attended Parson's College in Iowa on a cross country track scholarship. He was drafted and entered into Armyservice in 1968. He served as a Medic/Laboratory Technician and served one tour in Vietnam at the Saigon Hospital, arriving two weeks before the tet offensive. As a lab technician, he was responsible for culturing and treating infections. As a medic he performed triage for incoming patients and made runs to the blood bank.

Upon returning home in 1968, he attended College of the Redwoods, while working as a chain puller at Louisiana Pacific. In 1971, he joined the Eureka Fire Department where he worked for 26 years as a firefighter and engineer before his retirement in 1997. Gary was the first person you saw on the worst day of your life and he was always there to make it better. After retirement, he and his wife Sharon enjoyed traveling, restoring furniture, and spending time with family and friends. He liked to work on equipment and to invent ways to make it work more efficiently.

Gary was preceded in death by his father Starr W. Cahill, mother Frances E. Cahill, and his sister Sharon A. Cahill. He is survived by his wife Sharon G. Cahill, daughter Maureen A. Cahill, son Todd W. Cahill, stepdaughter Theresa M. Taylor and 8 grandchildren, who he dearly loved. In lieu of services and flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to Pancreatic Cancer Research or to the Gary W. Cahill Memorial Fund at Humboldt Area Foundation, 363 Indianola Rd, Bayside, CA 95524,www.hafoundation.org. Gary spent his life taking care of people and thought of others ahead of himself. In keeping with is life of service, the gifts will be used to fund a local scholarship for a student entering into a career serving others or as a one-time donation to a deserving charity or public service organization. Gary was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was a true hero to a lot of people and he is greatly missed. Cremation arrangements care of Humboldt Cremation and Funeral Services.

 Service Information