Obituary of Gary George Almli

Gary George Almli passed away peacefully on October 20, 2022, surrounded by his family in Tucson, Arizona at the age of 82. Gary was born to George and May Almli on May 20, 1940 in Houghton, Michigan.  He spent his High School years at Holy Ghost Fathers Seminary in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Back in Tucson for summer vacation at the end of his Junior year, he met his soon-to-be wife Frances at a church picnic, ending his seminary aspirations. He completed his high school education at Salpointe Catholic High School. 

 

Upon graduation, he studied at the University of Arizona where he completed his BA in Ancient History and went on to obtain his Masters Degree in Educational Administration. He enjoyed spending the next ten years teaching students, coaching athletics, and serving as a school principal.  While he truly loved teaching, he had a gift for design and architecture, and decided to pursue his general contractors license,  both commercial and residential, which he successfully obtained in 1971.  His wife Frances also left the teaching profession and together they embarked on this new joint venture called Gary Almli Construction Company Inc.  Gary was a member of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) receiving the designation of Master Builder and Certified Custom Home Builder.  His homes became a brand of known quality in the Tucson area, often being remarketed as an “Almli Home”.  He received the Construction Excellence Award from the American Subcontractors Association. During his career, he was committed to responsible land development, minimizing his impact on the natural desert environment, ancient lands, and wildlife habitats.  He built over 400 custom designed homes, apartments,  and commercial buildings. His daughters are proud to say they live in a legacy Almli home!

 

Gary was an avid bowler and spent much of his vacation time with his family fishing and camping in the White Mountains. He and his wife built a second home in Pinetop, Arizona where they enjoyed golf and family vacations with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren!  Gary and Fran retired in 2006 and together traveled the world.  Gary became an avid golfer, winning tournaments and accumulating 8 hole-in-ones over the years.

 

Gary was famous for his 5 o’clock social hour where he entertained family, friends and neighbors on his many patios. He was married to the love of his life for 62 years (together for a total of 65 years) and they had two wonderful daughters.  Gary always made a point to celebrate life milestones and it was evident he was proud of their accomplishments.

 

Those of us who were blessed to be touched by Gary’s existence understand that the positive impact he left on our lives far exceeded the limited time we had with him on earth. He will be fondly remembered for his generosity, his big friendly smile, his kindhearted charm, inimitable wit, and ceaseless optimism on life - all with that signature twinkle in his eye. 

 

Gary was preceded in death by his grandson, Liam Spallas (1996), his father, George Almli (2003), his mother, May Almli (2014), and his brother, Bruce Almli (2014). He is survived by his wife, Frances (Alaimo) Almli, his daughters, Liz Almli (Scott) and Chris Spallas (Nic), his grandchildren; Bryan Reisner (Christina), Jordan Spallas, Alec Sheftel, Hunter Spallas, Hannah Spallas, and Nichlas Spallas, and his great-grandchildren; Holden Reisner and Oliver Reisner.

 

Gary was a true patriot, passionate about God and Country, and strongly supported our military and first responders.

 

Memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 12, at 2:00PM at Adair Funeral Home, 8090 N Northern Ave. in Oro Valley. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in memory of Gary Almli to Tunnels to Towers (T2T.org) and the Tucson Cancer Conquerors (www.YouCanConquer.org). 

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