Gary Menteer

Gary Menteer
November 21, 1939 January 18, 2016
Peacefully in hospital on Monday, January 18, 2016, Gary (Gars) Menteer,
of Rancho Mirage, passed away with family and friends by his side.
Beloved son of the late William and Francis Menteer.
Predeceased by his brother David and his sister Sandy.
Beloved husband and soulmate
of Joseph (Joe) Cvar.
Special companion to Jack Twist, his beloved dog.
Special uncle to David, Lisa, Diana, Lauri and Tara.
At the age of 16, Gary left Texas and moved to New York City where his
exceptional talents landed him a role in the original production of The Music
Man on Broadway. After that, Gary was chosen by Desilu Studios to
train in Hollywood. In the following years, Gary found a
lot of work, not only in television, but in film. He appeared in many great
musical films, including: The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Funny Lady, Bye
Bye Birdie, Finian's Rainbow, Inside Daisy Clover, Hello Dolly, and Mary
Poppins.
Gary also performed in many musical variety shows such as: The Judy
Garland Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The Dean Martin Show and
The Julie Andrews Hour.
Through the following decades, Gary enjoyed a fulfilling career as a
choreographer, writer, director, and producer to distinguished acclaim in
Hollywood and New York. Some notable television shows he worked on
include: Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Punky Brewster, and Family
Matters.
But above all, Gary was a wonderful, kind, generous man full of great humor and fun. A man of great integrity who was loved and will be missed by many people. We are all blessed to have known him.
His husband Joe, family and friends would like to thank the incredible
doctors and nurses at Eisenhower Memorial Hospital in Rancho Mirage for
all their compassionate care.
Funeral arrangements
provided by Forest Lawn, Cathedral City will be
private, per Gary's request.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Bring your thoughts,
prayers and fondest memories of Gary.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Palm Springs Animal
Shelter or to Eisenhower Medical Center Hospital of Rancho Mirage.
Condolences and tributes may be made at tributes.com.