Gary Gangnath
June 01, 1954 - January 27, 2026
Obituary
Gary Gangnath passed away on January 27, 2026 in Billings, MT following a diagnosis of stage 4 aggressive brain tumor. Gary faced this diagnosis as he did most things in life, with copious amounts of information, clear decision making, courage and his special brand of humor.
Gary was born June 1, 1954 to Clifford and Geraldine (St. Pierre) Gangnath in Flint, Michigan. He graduated from Flint Southwestern High School in 1972. He achieved a BA in Economics from Kalamazoo College in 1976 and an MBA from the University of Michigan in 1978.
Gary married the love of his life, Leslie Michelson at the Gallatin Gateway Inn on June 3, 1990. They made their home in Billings, MT. In January of 2002, Gary and Leslie traveled to China where they adopted a beautiful baby girl, Chloe, who was the apple of her daddy’s eye.
Upon graduation from college Gary went to work for General Motors Corp. in Flint, MI. After a year, he moved to Yellowstone National Park to work for a season, which he enjoyed immensely. From there, he moved to Billings where he began a 30 year career as a Certified Financial Planner for Merrill Lynch. He retired in 2008 and he, Leslie and Chloe moved to Maui, Hawaii so Gary could enjoy year round golf.
Gary was passionate about golf. Among his many achievements was winning Club Championships at Briarwood and Highlands golf clubs in Billings and King Kamehameah Golf Club in Maui. He also helped with roles in junior and amateur tournaments in Hawaii. He was involved with the governance of the game, having helped negotiate the purchase of Briarwood by the members, serving several years on the MT State Golf Association Board. He also helped with rules and as a starter at tournaments. He got the most satisfaction helping the members of Highlands Golf Club approve and build the new clubhouse when he was president of the board.
Gary was also passionate about games, from gin to backgammon, poker and blackjack, booking decent profits from his many trips to Las Vegas!
Gary is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Leslie, and their daughter Chloe. He is also survived by his cousins Craig (Lois) Mengel, and Greg (Susie) Vaughn. Gary wanted to thank all his golfing and poker buddies for all the prayers and good wishes during his illness.
Dahl Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. A memorial service will be held at Highlands Golf Club in April. Date to be announced at a later time.