Gary Alton Brand, 62, of Mt. Pleasant, SC, passed away on September 12, 2018, from complications associated with ALS.
He was born on December 17, 1955 in Gilboa, New York, son of Alton Gerald Brand, and Alice Leber Brand.
Gary was a retired Air Force Colonel. He served his first 4 years as an enlisted F4 mechanic reaching rank of Staff Sergeant, and then completed his BS in Business Management, an A.S in Professional Avionics and Aviation Management from Embry Riddle University and an MBA in Business Management. He re-entered the Air Force as an officer and became a Radar-Navigator on the B-52 Bomber plane. He later taught Radar Navigation at Castle AFB in California, and was also an Instructor at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va. It was during that assignment he married Dr. Renee Evers (who had been his dentist at Langley AFB) in 2002. Gary was pinned as a Colonel while serving as the Base Installation General in Minot AFB, in 2003, and his final assignment was as commander of the Air Force National Security & Emergency Preparedness (AFNSEP) organization. During that time, he was directly involved in the Air Force’s response team for Hurricane Katrina, as well as the Minnesota bridge collapse in 2005.
He spent several years after retiring in 2008, working in various organizations as a Program management professional (PMP). His absolute love for our US military ran very deep. His hobbies were golfing, snow-skiing, hiking and camping with his family; and computer technology.
He is survived by his wife Renee and daughters Alexandra of Mt. Pleasant, SC and Megan Poff of Strasburg, PA.
A visitation will be held Monday, September 24, 2018 from 5 PM- 7 PM at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home, Mt Pleasant, 1520 Rifle Range Road Mt Pleasant, South Carolina, 29464.
His Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1 PM, on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at The Church at LifePark, 1151 George Browder Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466. Interment services will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to The ALS Association, 7499 Parklane Road #144, Columbia, SC 29223.
Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted to www.mcalister-smith.com.
Arrangements entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral Home, Mt Pleasant, 1520 Rifle Range Road Mt Pleasant, South Carolina, 29464, 843-884-3833.