Obituary of R Gary Dillingham

R. Gary Dillingham Born in Buffalo, NY, on Oct. 21, 1938, to Ralph Dillingham, Sr., and Virginia Decot Dillingham, Ralph Gary Dillingham, Jr., of Cortland, passed away suddenly on Jan. 28, 2015. Known as "Dill" to his friends and "Sheriff Dill" to his adversaries, Gary was a lifelong athlete who participated in football, wrestling, and track in high school and college. Upon leaving the U.S. Navy as a signalman, he attended Cortland State and married Maria Natoli, with whom he had three children. While in college, his commitment to wrestling was the strongest, winning the conference championship in 1962. That same year, after graduating from college, Gary became a father, a Driver Ed teacher, and started coaching Cortland High wrestling, resulting in two sectional championship teams, 15 sectional champions, and more. After he retired, he became a substitute teacher and continued coaching right up until his death. Last fall, it was his great honor to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Previous to that, he was inducted into the Cortland High School Wall of Fame. Gary lived a full, multifaceted life. He was a St. Mary's Crusader; a Purple Tiger; a Red Dragon; an amateur boxer; a house painter, flipper, and landlord; a marathon runner; a sports fanatic; an Amway salesman; a devout Christian; a builder; a driver for veterans and cancer patients; and an English teacher in China, where he met his second wife, Diana. He also was known for his bad jokes, erratic golf game, opinionated letters to the editor, and infamous childhood game of "Monster." Gary died doing exactly what he loved—watching (and "backseat coaching") a wrestling match among friends and peers. His motto in sports and life was: "Records are meant to be broken; rules are meant to be followed." His family hopes that his legacy of dedication, commitment, perseverance, discipline, passion, volunteerism, fearlessness, and a worry-free attitude will live on. Gary is survived by his wife, Hai Ying "Diana" of Homer; children Tim (Tami) of Denver, NC; daughters Deedee of Liverpool, NY, Vicki of Portland, ME, and Chang Liu "Helen" of Boston; grandchildren Jake and Taylor of Denver, NC; siblings Bo Dillingham of Cortland, Ginger Lella of FL, and Joan Porter of Cortland; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents; several aunts and uncles; and most recently, his two rescue dogs, Buddy and Toto. Friends are invited to call 2:00-4:00 p.m. Sunday at Wright-Beard Funeral Home, 9 Lincoln Ave., Cortland. A memorial service will be held at 12:00 p.m. Monday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 49 Hamlin St., Cortland. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution to the Cortland High School Wrestling Program, c/o Bill Gallow, 8 Valley View Dr., Cortland, NY, 13045; the Cortland County SPCA; or another charity of choice. To offer online condolences,visit www.wright-beard.com