“A good fisherman knows a keeper when he sees one, he knows when to toss one back, and when to head for home.”
On July 9, 2017, Bellingham lost a really, really cool man. Gary Willoughby Bland, a dear friend of my grandfather Bill’s, passed away. Gary was a fan of BDP, a silent supporter, always following our accomplishments and lessons learned, on top of being a mentor to many. A donation was made in honor of Gary, to the Bellingham Distance Project. We are extremely grateful and wish to honor him and the lasting reach he had on so many as we continue to pursue our goals.
“Gary was born May 18, 1940 in Bellingham to Clyde and Juliet (Willoughby) Bland. As a youngster Gary worked as a caddie at Bellingham Golf and Country Club and in high school continued working there on the night watermen crew. After graduating from high school in 1958 he worked for a short time at Boeing and then spent 40 years at Georgia Pacific as a Pipefitter where he formed many lifetime friendships. In 1965 he married Patricia Hanson and together with their son Tory enjoyed camping, boating, fishing, slow pitch baseball, motor cycling, and traveling to the warm beaches of Hawaii. He took great pleasure and pride in encouraging and supporting his son in his athletic endeavors. In later years Gary continued to mentor many young people in fishing, golf, and life. For several years he volunteered to assist his good friend in coaching the Lynden High School golf teams. Gary and Pat also loved traveling around the US supporting the WWU golf teams. Gary has been a member of BGCC since 1983 and had great fondness for the course that he worked at so many years ago. In his retirement years he continued to volunteer on large and small projects for the betterment of the club. But his greatest passion was fishing in the salt water, rivers and lakes, and in recent years he added fly fishing to his list of ways to enjoy being out on the water. He was a good man, beloved by many. He was preceded in death by his parents. Gary is survived by Pat, his wife of 51 years, son Tory, brother Jim, and many loving relatives and friends.”
Gary’s obituary was announced through the Bellingham Herald.
