Gary Enersen was born 11/22/1938 to the late Robert J. Enersen and Coralie (Lathrop) Enersen in Minneapolis, MN. He graduated from the University of Minnesota High School in 1956, the year his family moved to Clearwater, FL.
Gary attended St. Petersburg Junior College for 2 years and then completed his BS from the University of Florida. He went to Los Angeles, California, where he held several jobs – from selling soldering equipment to working for the Southern Pacific Rail Road. He enjoyed owning property there and in San Francisco, where he lived for years, first on a boat in the marina and later in an iconic Victorian “Painted Lady” home.
He visited Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Puget Sound, and loved it immediately. Soon he was an Islander, owning vacation rental properties.
For many years, he was a self-employed professional efficiency management consultant, helping companies use their talent and skills to develop their businesses.
Gary was a born encourager. He was especially interested in helping young people engage in deep thinking and activities that make the planet a better place to live. He saw possibilities in everything, and he had big ideas about innovation and philanthropy.
He loved going to church, meeting people, and being on and near the water. He was what islanders call an Island Fixture. If you knew him from church or had any business with him in town, you were probably on a first name basis with him and enjoyed his infectious smile and eternal optimism.
Gary is survived by his sister, Kay (Bill) Evans and her family in Pensacola, FL, and his brother Rob (Donna) and his family in Lafayette, Indiana; a cousin, Ann Lindstrom in OR, and a cousin, Carl Lampert (Joyce) in CA.