Dr. Gary Vaughn Burkholder
January 12, 1948 — September 25, 2022
Dr. Gary Vaughn Burkholder, DDS, 74, a resident of Fort Myers, FL for the past 18 years, formerly of Thorp, WI, passed away Sunday, September 25, 2022 in Cape Coral, FL. He was born January 12, 1948 in Kenosha, WI to Leonard and Roxie Burkholder, now deceased.
Gary graduated from Kenosha Tremper High School in 1966 and then attended UW Whitewater and UW Madison. Gary graduated with his DDS from Marquette University Dental School in 1973. He worked as a dentist in Thorp, WI for 30 years before moving to Ft. Myers in 2004.
Gary's hobby from an early age was cars. Before getting his driver's license he would often take his dad's car to gas it up at the corner gas station and many times picked up his friends for a quick fun ride. By age 16, he was so good at driving that the driver's test examiner asked how long he'd been driving and passed him immediately. Gary also liked collecting cars.
Gary was an avid fan of the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Packers. He also loved boating, enjoyed taking his family on boating vacations to Minocqua, Wisconsin and, at one time, had his pilot’s license. Gary loved being a dentist and enjoyed spending time with his friends. He will be remembered as the life of the party, always quick with a joke or to strike up a conversation with someone new. We know he is in a better place dancing to his favorite song, “Mustang Sally.”
Gary is survived by his children, Joy Burkholder Meier (Eric) of Wauwatosa, WI; grandchildren, Connor, Colin, Bennett, Graham, Katie Woodward (John Michael) of Lake Mary, FL, Ben, Carter, and Summer. He is also survived by many loyal friends, most of whom he'd known for 61 years dating to 7th grade: Leo, Mark, Dennis, Dewey, Don, Jim, Bradford, and Joe.
Memorial services will be held at a later date. Details to be announced via www.MullinsMemorial.com.
Memorial Contributions in memory of Dr. Gary Vaughn Burkholder are suggested to American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741 or online at https://donate3.cancer.org
Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cape Coral, is entrusted with final care.
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