My sincere thoughts and prayers and sympathies to the entire Palmatier Family. Gary was a wonderful man. He will be missed.

Gary and I were friends dating back to 1967 or 1968 when he was a frequent fixture in our Brooklyn apartment (always willing to make the Sunday night drive from Rockland County into the city). Our mutual addiction to Leonard Cohen's music brought us together. When he left for Eugene (OR) I thought I'd lost him forever, but a few years ago, through the miracles of social networking, I found him again and we enjoyed hours of on-line correspondence, catching up and reminiscing about the years and memories gone by. Gary was a big part of my youth and a dear dear friend. I know how he suffered since 2003 and often wished for a magic eraser to take away his pain. He so loved his new life in Bend but always had fine memories of Pleasanton. I think Barkley and Sonny will miss him almost as much as the rest of his close friends. My heart goes out to Penny and his family.