Gary Mounce, 71, of Creswell, Ore. passed away in his home on Aug. 10 as a result of congestive heart failure. He was born on July 21, 1950 in Lafayette, Ind. to parents Harry Mounce and Jean Clodfelter Mounce. He was a Creswell resident for over a decade.
Gary was a school administrator for over 34 years. He was principal at Creswell High from 2009-14. He was also a principal at Clatskanie School District from 2004-09, the superintendent of Stanfield School District from 2001-04, and the principal and athletic director at South Lane School District from 1995-2001. He was awarded Teacher of the Year for Sacramento County in 1991.
Mounce earned a degree in Educational Administration from California State University at Sacramento; a bachelor’s degree in Education from Purdue University; an associate’s degree in business from American River College; and a masters degree in administration from the University of Oregon.
He was married to Nancy Lewis for 22 years until her death in 2007. He married Laurel Henry of Creswell in Hendrick’s Park on April 27, 2010 and the two were married for nine years.
Gary enjoyed classic cowboy movies, black and white Labrador Retrievers, Oregon Ducks games, books written by John Grisham and music by James Taylor. He was an outdoorsman and worked in the private sector in the National Forest Service as a woodland firefighter along the McKenzie River.
Gary was a volunteer for South Valley Recreation from 1995-97; an advisor for Future Farmers of America from 2002-04; a volunteer for Parent Partnership, a family support organization from 1997-2001; a member of the School Resource Officers Association from 2001-03; on the executive board of the Oregon School Association and Activities from 2002-04; a local Kiwanis member from 2004-06; a United Way board member from 2007-09; a national coordinator for Oregon Confederation of Secondary School Administrators (COSA) from 2009-14; a Creswell City Councilor from 2016-18; and also ran for Creswell mayor in 2018.
He is survived by his wife, Laurel Henry of Creswell; sister Marsha Lazarus of Centralia, Wash.; brother Terry Mounce of Chicago Park, Calif.; stepdaughter Naomi (Nevin) Beckes of Newport, Ore. and their sons Banyon and Bhodi; numerous friends, including Joe Paine, Jerry Bennett and Connie Selleck, as well as Michael Carter from Clatskanie, Ore.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date. A scholarship fund is being established for at-risk youth in lieu of memorial contributions.
