Gary Harold Zajic, 70, died quietly on May 28, 2021, at Livingston HealthCare, surrounded by his family, after a long illness.
Gary was born on July 27, 1950, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Alliance, Nebraska, to Dorothy and Harold Zajic. He grew up on the family farm in Hemingford, Nebraska. He attended Creighton University in Omaha, where he received a degree in biology, and then attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, from which he received a master’s degree in anatomy. He worked at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for 18 years, doing research on the biochemical mechanisms of hearing loss. He later moved to Thousand Oaks, California, and spent 11 years working on the development of new therapeutic drugs at Amgen, Inc. He loved to travel and was fortunate to have been able to spend time at various laboratories in Europe as a visiting researcher. After he retired, he and his partner Kathryn moved to Livingston in 2010.
Gary loved fishing in the Yellowstone River, pheasant hunting back home in Hemingford, and target shooting. He was intensely loyal to his family and friends.
Gary is survived by his children, Laura and Neil Zajic; grandsons Noah and Birch; brothers Tom, Bob, and Jim Zajic; sister Carol Krejci; nephews John and Ben Krejci; aunt Lois Hughes and his partner Kathryn Kimmel. He was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Dorothy and his twin brother Larry.
He did not wish a memorial service, but will be remembered back home on the farm in Hemingford, NE at a later date.
Obituary courtesy Livingston Enterprise newspaper, Livingston, MT.