Gary Leonard Propheter, 70, of Denver, Colorado, passed away on March 14th, 2026 surrounded by loved ones. Gary was born April 9th, 1955, son of Earl John Propheter and Sheila Ann Propheter.

After graduating from high school, it only took a few years in college to encourage him to pursue banking fulltime. He took his skills to many countries and places, such as Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, the latter of which was where he met Nancy. They married on January 13th, 1995. Gary worked as a Chief Operations Officer for the Bank of Eastern Oregon, receiving many awards for excellent service before retiring in 2020.

Gary loved any activity as long as it was with the family, from watching movies and playing golf to board games and family vacations. He was always happiest when we were all together, trying new cuisines and traveling to new places.

Many lasting memories will be treasured by his family; too many to count but these ones stuck out:

Earl: My favorite memory is the time when dad helped me with school before 6th grade when I was really struggling with everything. 2-3 hours everyday after school for about 2 years he would coach me with all the subjects, especially math. This constant help fostered the very good habit of knowing how to study hard. By the time I got to 6th grade, schoolwork became a breeze, all thanks to dad’s dedicated mentoring.

Nancy: Gary and I have always been a great team. From golf tournaments and boardgames, to cooking dinners and raising our kids, there was nothing we couldn’t conquer by working together. Gary has always been my number one fan, always encouraging and supporting me to pursue my interests.

Nicole: I always loved getting ice cream with Dad after golf tournaments, and falling asleep on his arm on the way home. I remember spending early mornings before school or work leaning on him on the couch while he watched the news or played Civ 3. Movie nights were the best, like all the times we binged the Lord of the Rings series all lumped together as a big family.

John: He was always there to watch my football games and wrestling matches. He supported me through college. I really enjoyed playing board games with him – even though he’d always win in Scrabble – as well as watching Gladiator for the hundredth time. Together we would work on the house and the yard, doing large and small projects. Dad, Earl and I also played a whole campaign of Total War Warhammer, which was really fun.

Naomi: I always really enjoyed when he and I would stay up at night reading Harry Potter together. We would sometimes bake cookies or make brownies during the day to have sweets and milk while we read, too.

A Memorial Gathering in Gary’s honor will be held on March 29, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Gilliam and Bisbee Event Center & Suites, located at 106 E May Street, Heppner, Oregon 97836.

Gary’s warmth, kindness, and unwavering commitment to family and community have left an indelible mark on all who knew him. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

Condolences may be extended to the family through sweeneypaytonmortuary.com.