Gary W. Brink

Gary Ward Brink passed away on Friday, January 13, 2017 at Accura Healthcare in Cherokee, Iowa. His death was as the result of issues related to his Frontal Temporal Dementia. He had been a resident of the nursing home for almost five years and had received thoughtful and compassionate care there the entire time. Gary was born in Burea, Ohio, on May 10,1951 to Robert and Betty (Ward) Brink. Although his childhood was spent in Ohio and Connecticut, a move to Los Altos, California in 1965 commenced his love for California. He graduated from Los Altos High School in 1969 and went on to obtain a BS and an advanced degree from the University of California, San Diego. He was a computer programmer and worked for the Ford Aerospace Company and three startups in the Silicon Valley. For several years in the 80's he worked in Germany for Ford, and remained good friends with many of his coworkers when they returned to California. Gary began working at Page Mill Winery in the early 90's, helping pour wine for tastings and events. He was the first investor when the Stark family decided to move the operation to the East Bay and even though he continued to live in Los Gatos, he became even more involved in the winery. Gary retired from High Tech in 2005 and began working at the winery nearly full time. When the winery moved to its current location in Livermore, California, Gary and Dane Stark together began the long project of turning a horse stable into the beautiful facility that it has become today. Gary laid every landscaping brick on the property and contributed in countless ways in the ensuing years. He ran the tasting room from the opening in 2006 to 2010. His love of the winery was obvious to anyone who stopped as he was always anxious to talk to anyone about the intricacies of the wine making process and the enjoyment of the wines themselves. Gary was an avid bicyclist. He took part in a yearly bike ride across Iowa numerous times with his sister and nieces. He rode the coast of the United States from Oregon to Los Gatos several times, twice with his niece, Anna Veit Carter. He also enjoyed cooking and pairing good food with his wines. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Brink and Betty Brink. He is survived by his sister Nancy (Stephen) Veit, and their children: Sara (Jorun) Veit Kaufman, Julia (Justin) Walker, Anna (Jonathon) Veit Carter, Stephen Joshua Veit; a brother, Bob Brink and his wife Cyndye of Murrietta, California; eight grand nieces and nephews. Gary wished to donate his brain to the Memory and Aging Department's long term study of Frontal Temporal Dementia at the University of California, San Francisco. He joined their study in February 2012. His wish was to see this form of dementia studied, understood and eradicated. A private service will be held later this year for friends and family.

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