Service Details

Join us to share stories and remember a life lived to the fullest.

Wedesday, March 8, 2017 at 2:00 pm
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetary
1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive
San Diego, CA 92106

The Story

Gary Guilfoyle
A Life Lived to the Fullest
1936-2017

Gary Guilfoyle passed away on January 9th, 2017 at the age of 80 in his home in Palm Springs, California after a long battle with COPD. He was born April 17th, 1936 in New York. He is survived by his sisters, Evelyn Vodhanel and Glenda Guilfoyle; children, Bob Guilfoyle (married to Tricia); grandchildren, Pepper Wilde and Gavin Guilfoyle; former wife and mother of his children, Colette (Wolters) Guilfoyle; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Ethyl Guilfoyle and his beloved Corgi, Bosco.

Gary lived a full life and loved to travel the world. Shortly after high school, he enlisted in the Navy and began training as an electrical engineer while stationed at sea off Korea and later in Havana, Cuba. He was a music lover and great musician; playing clarinet, oboe, and saxophone in the Navy band. He was honourably discharged from the Navy after completing his service in 1956.

He then secured a position with Hughes Aircraft where, in his nearly twenty year career there, he was part of the team responsible for The Surveyor, which was the first unmanned NASA space probe to land on the moon. A natural inventor, he went on after Hughes working in the CAD/CAM Industry for Gerber Garment Technologies (GGT), specializing in developing cutting and pattern machinery using high pressure water jets and lasers. He relocated to Dallas, Texas and eventually founded his own company, Gamata Corporation. At Gamata, he invented and marketed several specialty cutting machines (such as the L23), one of the first smaller Laser cutters of its kind and distributed to various footwear and clothing manufacturers (Escada, Levis, Adidas, Bally Shoes, etc.) worldwide.

He was a big car enthusiast and was a winning hobby old-timer, rally race car driver. He was a huge animal lover, having bred, raised, and competitively shown Great Pyrenees dogs.

He sold Gamata nearly a decade ago and enjoyed his last years of retirement, whilst still creating and inventing, in Palm Springs, California.

A private memorial service will be held at Ft Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, CA on March 8th at 2:00pm, followed by a small gathering of friends and family.


In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Gary's name to Family Hospice Care of Palm Springs.