Gary Ellefsen Obituary

Gary Donald Ellefsen

1955 ~ 2024

In Loving Memory

Salt Lake City, UT-Gary Donald Ellefsen, Salt Lake City, died April 25 after a short illness. He was 68.

Gary was an entrepreneur, inventor, and a wizard with all things electrical. His mother in earlier years described him as sensitive, caring, artistic, intelligent and a perfectionist at heart. He was all of these and more.

He was born Nov. 1, 1955, to Donald H. and Kathleen Ellefsen. With his birth, Gary became a member of Phase 1 of the Ellefsen clan. When his parents launched Phase 2, he and his older sister greeted five additional siblings, who were born in quick succession. Gary and his older sister immediately ran herd on their younger siblings – many of whom were a decade younger.

When not helping his parents with family chores, Gary served as a role model to his brother and sisters showing them the ins and outs of navigating childhood. He explored the neighborhood with friends. He and his buddies spent days building treehouses in the Shady Lake area near his Holladay home.

He eventually tried his hand at building his own treehouse in his mother's cherished cherry tree. He removed his first solo construction project in its entirety at his mother's gentle but insistent urging. Rather than destroying his creation, he decided it would remain forever, buried in a 12-foot-wide hole below his mother's soon-to-be garden.

When not experimenting with building, Gary loved going on family trips. He fondly remembered one of the trips taken in the family's old blue station wagon to visit family friends in Seattle, Wash. Other family trips he remembered were visits to see Sea Lion Cave and the Redwood Forest, both in California.

Gary spent much of his childhood and adolescent years honing his business skills and work ethic working alongside his dad in the yard and on special days when he accompanied his dad on the job.

Upon graduating from Cottonwood High School in 1974 he met Charie Lyn Peterson. They were married Dec. 31, 1977. Gary was soon thrilled to become the father of a son, Jessy, and later, a daughter, Kandice. As his children grew and married, Gary was blessed with seven grandchildren, three from Jessy and four from Kandice. Gary and Charie later divorced May 17, 1996.

Gary initially explored working in drafting because of his love for architecture and design. It didn't take him long to realize he would much rather follow in his dad's footsteps. At the age of 20, Gary started his own business: Ellefsen Electrical.

He landed contracts for Brackman Brothers Bagels (now known as Einstein's Bagels) and Flower Patch. He used his electrical talents in theaters, movie sets and to wire home entertainment systems.

Gary quickly earned his Master's Electrician designation, which came in handy when he became a Generac Generator dealer 12 years ago. As a Generac dealer, he designed electrical systems for homes and installed much-needed generator systems. He quickly became the largest dealer in the Wasatch Front, calling himself "Generator Gary."

While still working as an electrician, Gary's life once again changed. Gary was introduced to Mary Stevens by mutual friends. They began dating and fell in love. The two decided in 1995 that it was time to move in together. One bonus of the move was the introduction of Mary's children Brett and Jessica to his life. Mary and Gary were committed at this point to live as husband and wife. Gary relished becoming the father of the two youngsters. The two said he instilled within them his core values of honesty and an incredible work ethic. His new stepson and stepdaughter regarded him as a "man of impeccable integrity."

Life with his new family threw a new wrinkle into his life in 2000. Mary received her second cancer diagnosis and was told she would only survive for a year. Gary made the decision to take a year off work so he could research how best to help Mary. His cancer research led him to another career choice: becoming a licensed herbalist to help Mary with her battle. He changed Mary's diet and created nutraceutical supplements as part of that diet. The research led to the creation of a new business: Dr. Chi LLC. Following Gary's diet regimen for a year, Mary received a clean bill of health at her yearly cancer checkup. The doctor found no sign of cancer and designated that she was now in remission.

Mary was not the only relative who benefitted from Gary's big heart. Gary served as caregiver and father figure for his grandson, Nathan. Nathan, whom Gary referred to as Bean, was Gary's constant companion as a youngster and benefited from Gary's wisdom. In recent years, Gary has served as a mentor to his younger brother Eric and has dished out fatherly advice to Brett and Jessica.

Survivors include wife, Mary; son, Jessy (Jamie) Jordan; daughter, Kandice (Paul) Allen; stepson, Brett Stevens; stepdaughter, Jessica Stevens; sisters, Terri (Allen) Swain, Lisa (Randy) Ellefsen, Joni Ellefsen, Suzanne (Michael) Wahls; brother, Eric Ellefsen; brother-in-law, Rick Wretberg; 13 grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews. His parents and sister Kathryn "Kat" Wretberg preceded him in death.

Memorial services are scheduled May 31, 6 p.m., at Mountain Springs Community Church, 7136 S. 1700 East, Cottonwood Heights, Utah.