Gary J Salerno

Gary J. Salerno, 62, of Holden, passed away on Monday, January 29, 2018, at UMass Hospital in Worcester.    Gary's father, Leonard A. Salerno, pre-deceased him in November 2017. He is survived by his loving wife of forty-two years, Jane C. (Donahue) Salerno; his beloved son and daughter Allen L. Salerno of Worcester and Ann F. Salerno of Somerville; his mother, Virginia M. (Leroy) Salerno of Shrewsbury; brother, Leonard L. Salerno and his wife Debra of New Braunfels, TX; sisters, Merilyn A. Miller and her husband Phillip, and Karen J. Kelsey and her husband Steven; all of Shrewsbury; and many nieces and nephews.    Gary was raised in Shrewsbury and graduated from SHS in 1973. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, serving six years as an aviator in Kodiak, Alaska, and at USCG Air Station Cape Cod. After leaving the service, Gary attended UMass/Amherst along with Jane. He became an air traffic controller for the FAA, in Anchorage, where, after the 1981 PATCO strike, he was hired by IBM and was most recently an IBM service delivery manager. Gary's career led him from Alaska to New York's Hudson Valley, where he and Jane started their family. In 1999, they returned nearer home and their extended families, settling in Holden.    An intensely family-focused man, Gary also was a member of the Nimrod League of Holden, and was practitioner of Aikido and a Karate Black Belt. He enjoyed off-road bicycling; hiking, and working on a multitude of projects including carpentry, welding, auto repair, landscaping and more. Gary was a jack-of-all-trades and master of many, giving freely of his skills, wisdom--and love. He was a member of the Worcester Art Museum, Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, and he and Jane enjoyed taking courses at the Worcester Center for Crafts.   Family and friends will gather for Calling Hours on Saturday, February 3, from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m., followed by a Memorial Service of Remembrance at 11:15 a.m. at MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation Street, Worcester.    Donations may be made to New England Donor Services. 60 First Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451; or online at neds.org.