Richard "Rick" Allen McGarity

Richard ‘Rick’ Allen McGarity - devoted husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend - passed away in his home in Winter Park, Florida on Friday, November 11, 2022. Rick was born to Richard and June McGarity, a wonderful Irish-Italian couple, on February 8, 1956 in Key West. He grew up in Fort Myers, Florida with his siblings, Karen, Greg and Tracy. As a teen, Rick not only became an Eagle Scout but loved to sail, play his acoustic guitar, sing, and work on his classic TR-6 British sports car. He met his high school sweetheart and future wife, Stacy, when they were 15 years old at Fort Myers High School as she was stopped, looking at a Campus Life poster for an event. He invited her to go with him as their first date. As a young couple, they were also very involved with Young Life, where he led worship, singing and playing his Martin acoustic guitar. He would always play that same guitar, which only sounded prettier as it aged. Rick and Stacy graduated from high school and got married in 1975. They soon welcomed three children. After high school, he went to Toccoa Falls Bible College and graduated in 1979. Then the family moved to Orlando where he worked as a youth minister at a Presbyterian church and missionary to Haiti helping provide clean water. A talented musician, Rick played his guitar and sang at a country club restaurant to earn extra money during the holidays. He and Stacy even performed the music at his little sister Tracy’s wedding. He then began his 28-year long career as a Winter Park, Florida paramedic/firefighter, where he retired a lieutenant. A teacher at heart, he founded a nonprofit CPR/ACLS training business and taught classes that were full of his entertaining first-responder stories. His niece MacKenzie Ammann idolized him and became an EMT because of him. Winter Park is a beautiful town, and he loved driving his old British sports car down Park Avenue and riding around on his Vespa with his adventurous Maltese, Jazzy, in her basket. He enjoyed relaxing with family and friends out on his dock on Lake Killarney. Everyone loved his quirky sense of humor and stories. With a lifelong love of being out on the water, he sailed his small Hobie Cat catamaran or kayaked on various waterways. He loved launching his boat at the beach in the waves and surf with his children hanging on. Sometimes there were mishaps. Beachgoers would always gather around to watch the spectacle or ask questions and he would often invite a couple of them out on the boat, just to be nice. He was always so friendly to everyone. Rick decided to become a pilot one day and bought an amphibious airplane. For the last decade of his life, he managed to fly all over Florida (with only a few mishaps), landing at small airports in towns you’ve never heard of or on crystal clear lakes that can’t be reached by car. He made fast friends with other pilots, and they would fly in to meet for lakefront lunches. After his mother, June, passed away, he moved his elderly father from Fort Myers to live with him and would take him up flying regularly. After a particularly scary storm they flew through, his father said, “For a minute there, I thought I was going to go be with June.” Rick told everyone that story. He loved the mountains. He planned annual snow skiing trips for his family to Colorado, Utah, California, British Columbia and even Taos, New Mexico. He brought his mandolin along to entertain everyone. Every happy birthday song was livened up by his mandolin. He would frequently visit his son Brendan and wife Kristin in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and the local dogs adored him. To say he was a dog lover would be an understatement. He would light up at the sight of any dog that passed by - or any baby. Needless to say, he totally spoiled his granddogs, Ralph, Addy, Twinkie and Simba. Concerned about the bee population, he became a beekeeper in his retirement and gave his honey away to family and friends in custom-labeled jars. It was the best honey they had ever tasted. Rick loved Europe. He once backpacked through Europe with his great friend from the fire department, Byron. He took his parents to Italy, a lifelong dream of his mother’s, and brought home beautiful photos of their adventures because he was a talented photographer. His daughter Lindsay took him to Ireland where he got to play the mandolin in a Dublin pub with local musicians while drinking a Guinness. He said he dreamed of going back there for a whole summer someday. His childhood love for the water never waned. He and Stacy enjoyed going on European or Caribbean cruises where they would see the world, dance, and make new friends. Just this year, he bought a 33’ catamaran, a lifelong dream, and planned to sail to the Dry Tortugas first. Always driven to help others and give back, he hoped to go back and volunteer in Haiti again soon, this time using his medical and pilot skills to help the needy. Rick is survived by his wife, Stacy; their children Shane, Brendan (Kristin) and Lindsay (Tony) Ulwick; granddaughters Kasie (Cora) Deter and Tessa; his sisters, Karen Bochette and Tracy (Lee) Hadsock; several nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. He was predeceased by his parents and brother, Greg. The fire department will be holding a service at the Winter Park Farmer’s Market on February 2, 2023 at 10am. His friends and family are invited to come share happy memories and celebrate Rick’s life. Celebration of Rick’s Life Winter Park Farmer’s Market 10am on Thursday, February 2, 2023 200 W New England Ave Winter Park, FL 32789

Richard "Rick" Allen McGarity

February 8, 1956 - November 11, 2022