I vividly remember the last time I was with Gary. We were celebrating our league-championship win in the Redhook Scratch Trios league in the banquet room of Kenmore Lanes, his home bowling center for the past 30-plus years. At the end of the night we said our goodbyes, looking forward to the fall when we would be on the same team again and attempt to repeat our victory in one of the most competitive leagues in the Seattle area.

Little did I, or anyone in the Kenmore Lanes community know, that Gary would be leaving us all too soon.

Gary died of a heart attack last month.

Gary truly devoted his life to the sport of bowling, particularly at Kenmore Lanes. In addition to being a longtime board member on both the Greater Seattle chapter of the United States Bowling Congress, as well as Greater Seattle Youth Bowling, he spent countless hours coaching youth bowlers at Kenmore during junior leagues and at high-school team practices, furthering their understanding and enjoyment of the game.

Gary was just an all-around quality person, an always-supportive, yet tenacious bowling veteran with a great sense of humor — one of those guys that anyone would love to have on their team. Always one of the first to arrive and last to leave at our Thursday night league, perhaps his greatest asset was that although he had been around the sport for so long, he always sought to improve his game and knowledge of bowling. As teammates, we felt very comfortable offering each other bowling advice on any particular night if we seemed to be struggling.

My greatest bowling memory ever, which took place on the magical night of March 20, 2008 at Kenmore, involves Gary, as well.

It was the night I bowled my first league-sanctioned perfect 300 game, but that was not the main story. During our second game of the evening, our entire team couldn’t miss. After leading off with a spare, Gary, a 200-average bowler, began bowling like a man on a mission, stringing strike after strike, and our anchor bowler, Brendan Pecht, followed suit. Something was in the air during that game, and as soon we had reached the 10th frame, we all knew we were witnessing something spectacular. I struck out for my perfect game, and after throwing nine strikes in a row, Gary finished with a spare for a 277 game, his highest game of the season. Brendan’s 268 gave us a team total of 845 for the game, which put us in the record books as the highest three-man team game ever recorded in the history of Kenmore Lanes. Our score also ended up being the fifth-highest team game recorded in the entire United States for the 2007-2008 league season.

I know in my heart that without Gary pushing me like he did with all those strikes, my 300 game probably wouldn’t have happened. Regardless, I know he’s smiling down on us from heaven reminiscing on all these wonderful memories he’s created and left for us in the Kenmore Lanes and Seattle bowling community. Rest in peace, Gary, and may you continue to roll those strikes up there. We’ll never forget you.

Your friend and teammate,

Tim Watanabe