Obituary of Gary Alan Hudnall

***** DUE TO WEATHER, SERVICES FOR GARY HUDNALL HAVE BEEN MOVED FORWARD 24 HOURS. ***** Funeral Services for Gary Alan Hudnall of Lake St. Louis, MO, formerly of Elsberry, MO, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry. His good friend Vernon Boehm will officiate with burial in Star Hope Cemetery near Elsberry. Serving as pallbearers will be Larry Hudnall, Tim Hart, Billy Hudnall, Matt Tapley, Donnie Tapley, Aaron Kinsler, Kelly Sutton and Wade Miller. Honorary pallbearers will be Joe Hartmann, Chris Wilmes, Ben Cooper, Vernon Boehm, Kenny Hammers, Bill Vondera, Billy Ray, Greg Smith and Marty Green. Gary, 65, passed away late Thursday morning, March 21, 2013 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO after a battle with heart disease since 1985. Born February 6, 1948 in Hannibal, MO, he was the fourth son of William O. and Ruby P. Wright Hudnall. He was educated in the Hannibal and West Pike School systems and graduated in 1973 from Western Illinois University. He was united in marriage on January 20, 1973 in Elsberry to Diane Tapley. This union was blessed with three beautiful daughters: Amy, Jacki and Megan. He was employed for thirteen years by Gerstner Electric Company. In 1987 he began working at Fred Weber Inc as a Senior Project Manager, where he retired in 2000 and again in 2005. It was at Fred Weber where he met his best buddy, Joe Hartmann and many other friends. One of Gary's toughest battles was losing his precious daughter Amy to cancer in 1998. Gary was blessed with his first grandson, Reed Sutton, in 2000. He was followed by four more grandkids: Grant Joseph Miller, Amy Grace Sutton, Maggie Kristine Miller and Claire Marie Miller. They were his world and he loved seeing them come to visit. Gary and Diane enjoyed their retirement by wintering in Florida for the past 11 years with close friends. Gary loved nothing more than fishing with his buddy Joe and others; and his time spent at Mark Twain Lake with Dave and Marshall. He was a member of New Hope Masonic Lodge #199 where he served as Past Master. He was a member of Star Hope Baptist Church. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, W.O. and Ruby Hudnall; two brothers: Bob and Larry Hudnall; his daughter, Amy Hudnall-Silotto; his father and mother-in-law, Don and Betty Tapley; a much loved nephew, Billy Hart; and a dear friend, Clark Uline. Survivors include his beloved wife of 40 years, Diane Hudnall of Lake St. Louis; two daughters, Jacki Sutton of Lake St. Louis and Megan Miller and her husband, Wade, of Troy, MO; and five grandchildren. He also leaves one brother, Bill Hudnall of Austin, TX; two sisters: Rita Brown and her husband, Hurley (Jr.) of Hannibal, and Vicki Hart and her husband, Bill, of New Canton, IL; two brothers-in-law, Dean Tapley and his wife, Rita, and Dane Tapley and his wife, Gina, all of Elsberry; two sisters-in-law, Donna Owens and her husband, Bill, of Clarksville, and Sheri Hudnall-Harrison of North Carolina; numerous nephews and nieces who he thought of like "older grandkids" and loved deeply; several other relatives and many, many friends. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Monday, March 25, 2013 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Lincoln County R-II Schools in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 107 South Fifth Street, Elsberry, MO 63343. Online condolences may be made at www.carterricksfuneralhome.com.