Obituary of John G. Gay

John G. Gay, 79, of 1189 Peaceable Street, Charlton, died on May 20, 2017.    Born on October 29, 1937 in Middleburgh, New York, he was the son of John F. and Ethel (South) Gay.  John spent his childhood years in Schenectady and graduated from Mont Pleasant High School in 1955. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Special Forces.  Following his military service, he enrolled in Kansas State University and, upon completion of his studies, earned his licenses in both civil engineering and land surveying.  He joined C.T. Male Associates in Latham, NY in 1958 and had a distinguished career there, beginning as project surveyor; then project manager; moving up to partner in the firm; then Vice President of Land Surveying, Land Planning, and Land Development; then Vice President of Operations; becoming the President and CEO in 1986.  During his many years at C.T. Male, John directed the re-surveying of the Appalachian Trail, and designed and supervised the engineering plans for many residential, industrial, and commercial land development projects in the Capital District region and northeastern United States.  In 1990, John established his own firm, Northeast Land Survey & Development Consultants, P.C. in Malta with his business partner, David Bogardus, retiring in 2014.  In a career spanning fifty-five years, John was widely known and highly respected as a renowned professional engineer and land surveyor in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, and he held licenses in all of those states.

John was a past director of the New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors and a past President of the Eastern New York Society of Land Surveyors.  He was a longtime member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.  His other professional affiliations included: the Urban Land Institute, the Consulting Engineers Council, the Vermont Society of Land Surveyors, the New Hampshire Society of Land Surveyors, and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.  In 2015, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the NYS Association of Professional Land Surveyors.  He served on the board of Schenectady Community College and on the Advisory Board of the School of Surveying at Paul Smiths College, where a scholarship was named in his honor.  He lectured on Strategic Planning at Union Graduate College.  He was a longtime member and past president of both the Malta Business and Professional Association and the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Rotary Club.  He served as a trustee at Our Lady of Grace in Burnt Hills. Most recently, he was a member of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Glenville, where he served as an usher. In 2015, he was elected to the Charlton Town Board and served with distinction until his death.

John married his beloved wife, Teri (Podnorszki Ulrich) Gay on October 18, 2007. In his younger years, John was an avid golfer and tennis player at the Edison Club, where he was a member for thirty years.   He was an enthusiastic outdoorsman, enjoying biking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and snow-shoeing.  He loved to spend time with his family and friends at Lake George and Sacandaga. John loved working outdoors, riding his tractor, cutting wood, walking in the woods, reading about Native American history, woodworking, the New York Giants, the New York Yankees, and his beloved black lab, Bear. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and was a friend and mentor to many.

John was predeceased by his parents, and by his sister Patricia Gay Waugh.  He is survived by his wife, Teri; two daughters -- Maureen (Christopher) Nowak, of Chester, NJ, and Kristin (Rich) Feliciano, of Vienna, VA; eight grandchildren – Aidan, Declan, Maeve, Cian, Eilis, and Tiarnan Nowak; Miles and Reid Feliciano; his former wife, Sally (Vinick) Gay, of Clermont, FL; and many nieces and nephews.

John is also survived by three stepsons – Benson (Lateisha) Ulrich of Endicott, NY; Vincent (Ceiarah) Ulrich of Gansevoort, NY, and Marshall (Imani) Ulrich of Schenectady, NY, along with four step-grandchildren, Eli, Walter, Acaydia, and Jordan.

Calling hours will be held from 4 to 8pm on Thursday, May 25 at the Glenville Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass will be held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Saratoga Road, Glenville, NY at 10am on Friday, May 26, followed by burial at 2pm at the Saratoga National Cemetery. Arrangements are being made by The Glenville Funeral Home, 9 Glenridge Road, Glenville, NY 12302. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the John G. Gay Scholarship Fund in the School of Surveying at Paul Smiths College, 7777 NY–30, Paul Smiths, NY 12970.