Gary as a toddler. What a chub!

Paul, Gary, and Armand standing outside on the farm. Armand(the brother on the far right) died of a strep infection shortly after this photo was taken.

Gary and Donna on the porch. Looking at their coats, it must be winter!

Gary on his horse. Here he is riding bareback. He continued to use a horse during his early years of farming in Ponca.

Gary as a young boy, all dressed in white and with his fancy shoes. I wonder if he was headed to church or maybe to a family reunion?

Gary with his Uncle Joe Bennett. Joe was one of Gary's favorite uncles. All of Joe's kids have great memories of Gary when they would come to visit on the farm. (Some of them involve stealing his cigarettes and smoking them behind the barn!

Gary doing field work as a young boy.

Gary with his brother Paul. Armand had already passed away and his younger brother, Pat, was just a baby.

Gary as a teenager. This picture really looks like several of his grandsons. They definitely share his smile.

Gary served in the military from 1954-1956 in the Army and Air Force. He served in Texas for most of this time. Gary was in the Army first, but was recruited to the Air Force because of his ability to fix anything with just a few "MacGyvered" parts. All of us know that nothing was ever thrown away, just in case we might need a "part" off of it!

Gary served in the military from 1954-1956 for the Army and Air Force.

Gary marries Germaine (Jeri) Hegarty. Jeri says he was so cute that she chased him all over Sioux City! After a long time dating, he finally popped the question and asked her to "go steady." Never in a hurry for anything, he was 29 when they got married.

Members of Gary and Jeri's wedding party. Left to right. Patsy Hegarty Abdo, Judy Hegarty Hobbs, Pat Kayl, Paul Kayl, Back row Wayne Lamprecht, Bill Enders

Gary's brother Pat assists him into the church. We are not sure if this photo was staged??? 😊

"Just take a bite." Famous words said by Jeri throughout their 43 years of marriage. She always had something on the stove, ready for him, and always insisted that he should just try it---"Just take a bite."

The wedding took place at St. Michaels Church in Sioux City, IA.

Gary's dad (Ray Kayl) would always decorate the farm (on Highway 12) for the holidays. The farm was sold and completely renovated. This photo is a wonderful snap-shot of what all of us remember as the place where we spent weekends staying with Grandpa, had picnics and fireworks, played in the barns and the creek, and told scary stories upstairs near the attic.

Gary with his sister Mary Ann Kayl and daughter Katie Kayl Bousquet. Gary loved Mary Ann and kept her on her toes by constantly teasing her. He would wrap up toilet paper as Christmas gifts for her and give her buckets of pennies to count and to "pay her bills." Mary Ann would just see Gary and start to laugh, wondering what he had up his sleeve next.

Gary holding his granddaughter Molly (his daughter Katie's first child). Gary had many grandchildren that he loved to tease and spend time with. If you happened to have a prearranged sleep over with Grandpa and Grandma, there was usually a prank of some sort waiting for you when you arrived (or went to sleep---like a remote controlled "gas" machine hidden under your bed???)

One of many celebrations at McArdles Bar. If you visit McArdles's Bar in Ponca, you can find a plaque with Gary's picture and many, many stories about their good friend, Gary B

Gary walks Sarah Kayl McGill down the aisle at St. Patricks Church in Ponca.

Gary talks to Fr. Dave as he drives the bride and groom around Ponca and to the reception. Usually there was an old Gary B. car waiting outside the church for the bride and groom to cruise around Ponca in, rarely did it have a muffler---so everyone knew you were nearby!

Gary and Jeri Kayl. Newly married Sarah and Andy McGill. Ron and Brenda McGill.

Parents of Gary Kayl: Ray Kayl and Dorothy (Bennett) Kayl. Gary was their third born and their third son. He spent his entire life working for and with Grandpa Ray and was heartbroken when his mom, Dorothy, passed away in the 70's.

Gary congratulates his daughter Katie Kayl Bousquet at her graduation from Mount Marty Nursing school. He had two daughters and one son-in-law graduate from Mount Marty. Even though Yankton was only about 1 hour from Ponca, he still thought it was just "too far away."

Gary's family at his brother Paul's graduation. From left to right Donna Kayl Lund, Dorthy Kayl, Paul Kayl, Ray Kayl, Gary Kayl Front row Pat Kayl, Mary Ann Kayl, Carol Kayl Rahn

What a handsome fellow, graduating from Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City, Iowa. Rumor has it he used to hitchhike to and from Sioux City when he needed to get back and forth to the farm in Ponca. Funny, because he always was the first one to pick up a hitchhiker on the road---no matter how many kids were already in the car!

After selling the farm, Gary worked for John Morrell Sioux City, IA for 20 years. The plant pictured here burned down in a fire, causing Gary and the other employees to be temporarily reassigned to Magnolia, Minnesota. While working there he lived in a hotel in Luverne, Minnesota. Pictured Jeri Kayl, Maureen Kayl Thompson, Jeff Thompson, Gary Kayl.

Through some difficult times Gary raised eight kids. Farming was tough and life was hard, but he and Jeri managed to raise some fun and wonderful kids. Pictured Mike Kayl, Katie Kayl Bousquet, Maureen Kayl Thompson, Gary Kayl.

Back Row Darrell Kayl, Katie Kayl Bousquet, Dan Kayl, Jeri Kayl, Gary Kayl, Front Row Ginny Kayl Debates, Christine Kayl, Sarah Kayl McGill, Mike Kayl, Maureen Kayl Thompson

Gary driving McArdles Bar tractor in the Days of 56 parade in Ponca. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who loved Ponca more than Gary did. It was the center of his universe. As a family, we rarely left town, and anyplace farther than Sioux City was too darn far away.