Gary Leigh Slade went to be with the Lord on May 17, 2024, after a 14-year battle with dementia. He was surrounded by his family at their home in Madison, MS. There will be a visitation June 5, 2024 at 1pm, at Pinelake Church, 6071 S Highway 25, Brandon, MS 39047, followed by a Celebration of Life service at 2pm. Speaking for Gary, casual attire at the service is preferred, but all are welcome. A fellowship time for family and friends to gather and to share “Gary stories” and to enjoy one another’s company will be hosted by Pinelake at the conclusion of the service. Gary was born July 23, 1957, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Mississippians Leigh L. and Ella Sue Lenoir Slade. After spending his early childhood years in Shreveport, Odessa, TX, Brookhaven MS, New Iberia, LA, and Houston, TX, his family settled in Laurel, MS, where he graduated from RH Watkins High School, class of 1975, where Gary made many lifelong friends. Gary was a light to those who knew him; he had an optimistic disposition, an unforgettable smile, an entrepreneurial spirit, a personal charisma, and an unshakeable faith in the Lord. Gary studied Geology at USM, where he was a member of the SAE fraternity. He left school early to help his father start an oil chemical services business. His career in the oil and gas business as well as his real estate and development ventures brought him immense joy. Gary also spent some years in investment banking and growing Seattle Drip Coffee Company. Gary was a unique innovator with a genuine, contagious enthusiasm for his projects. He was full of ideas, creativity, vitality, and love, and he had the gift of making instant connections with people, making them feel special and important to him. Even as his memory diminished, he was caring and joyful. Gary was passionate about all of his endeavors, but his main loves were his wife of 22 years, Amy Jo Nelson, his two children, Brennan and Hannah, and his love for His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When Jesus got a hold of Gary, he was all in, and that relationship impacted every other relationship and business decision for the rest of his life. Gary was so amazed by the love and grace of God in Christ that he went back to school and received a Masters in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary in 1999, just so that he could better share the love of God with more people. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Julie Slade Carlisle, and niece Katie Carlisle. He is survived by his loving wife and their children: Brennan Nelson Slade and Hannah JoAnne Slade. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to The MIND Center of the University of Mississippi Medical Center: https://www.umc.edu/Development/How/Funds/ MIND-Center.html