Gary Franklin Dozier, 78, of Galax, VA died on Friday, February 26, 2016 at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, after a short illness. Gary was born on August 17, 1937 in Raleigh, NC to the late William Tate and Georgie Smith Dozier.

He is survived by sons Douglas C. Dozier of Charlotte, NC and Mark F. Dozier and wife Claudia and their children Lance, Luke, and Lydia all of Gallatin, TN. He is also survived by fiancé Christine C. Reynolds and her children William Reynolds and Bre R. Williams and husband Jared, all of N. Wilkesboro, NC. His brother William B. Dozier and wife Jean of Stoneville, NC and their children W. Gregory Dozier of Durham, NC and Lisa D. Barnette and husband David of Summerfield, NC, also survive him.

A 1959 graduate of N.C. State University, Gary earned a B.S. degree in Forestry. Recruited from college to work in management for Jenkins Wholesale, he began a career in the building supply industry. Gary went on to work for Moore's Wholesale and then Lowes Hardware where he met Shelby J. Murphy from Sparta, NC. They married in 1961 and had two sons, Mark and Douglas. In 1967 he opened his own company, Sparta Building Supply, in Sparta, NC. and quickly earned a reputation for being honest, reliable and fair with his customers. He cared about people and managed his business on Main Street for twenty years with integrity and success.

In 1980, Gary moved to Galax, VA and married Martha F. Jones. His new family included three stepchildren. They are Susi J. Tornow and husband Dave of Galax, Kathy J. Burnette and husband Mark of Galax, and Michael Lee Jones and wife Connie of Christiansburg, VA. A career change came about in 1987 when he went into life and health insurance sales for Bankers Life Insurance. Primarily focused in Southwest VA, he became a leading salesman winning many awards and trips while earning the confidence and trust of his clientele.
As a young man, Gary enjoyed participating in the Boy Scouts and in several sports. He loved the game of baseball and pitched for his grade school and high school teams. He was a huge New York Yankees fan. Their legendary outfielder, Babe Ruth, was his all-time favorite sports hero. Growing up in Raleigh, Gary became a passionate fan of the NC State Wolfpack and continued to follow their games throughout his entire life. He also spent several summers working for the Forest Service in Montana. In his later years, Gary cultivated a desire for traveling. In addition to several Caribbean cruises, he visited Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Arizona, Hawaii, Mexico, England, Italy, France, Greece and several other countries of Western Europe. Gary loved history and became an accomplished trivia expert. He was also known for his quick wit and dry sense of humor. He enjoyed driving Buicks, tennis, painting, working with wood, and playing chess. Gary lived a full life and confirmed that he was at peace with his Maker when he left us last Friday.

The family extends special thanks to Mark Burnette and Randy Wingate of Galax, VA for the kindness and help they showed our father with his home and yard duties over the years.

A viewing will be held this Friday, March 4, 2016, from 4:00-6:00pm at the Vaughan Guynn Funeral Home in Galax, VA. A celebration of Gary's life will be held Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 2:00pm at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home in North Wilkesboro, NC. The family will receive friends one hour before the service. Entombment will be in Scenic Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to The NCSU Wolfpack Club, the Boy Scouts of America, or the Democratic National Committee.
Online condolences may be made to Gary's memorial page at www.reinssturdivant.com.