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Visitation:
Pending
Service:
Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the New
Holland Methodist Church in New Holland, IL.
Funeral home:
Fricke-Calvert-Schrader, Lincoln
Obituary
Gary LaForge, 65, of
Lincoln formerly of New Holland passed away on
Friday, January 10, 2026 at his home with his loving
family surrounding him.
Gary was born on December 23, 1960 in Lincoln, IL
the son of Wayne and Patricia (Blaum) LaForge. He
married Lisa Mason on October 15, 2005 in Irvine,
CA.
Gary is survived by his wife, Lisa; his father,
Wayne; his children, Joshua (Talar) LaForge, Justin
LaForge, Jeremy LaForge, Melissa Montanez, and
Charlotte LaForge; his grandchildren, Grayson and
Kaleh; and his sister, Dawn (Mark) Beavan.
Gary was preceded in death by his mother, Patty.
Anyone who knows Gary knows that since he was a
little boy he was a member of 4H where he showed
both cattle and chicken where he won many 1st place
awards. He loved to sing and preach the word of God
and was a part of UMC lay witness missions. In High
School he was a big member in the musical theater
and was also awarded the Star State Farmer in FFA in
1979. Farming was a passion he loved to do with his
father (Wayne) that helped allow him to be the 4H
Federation President from 1978-1979. With his
musical talents Gary was able to win state contests
for singing Old Man River, 10,000 Angels and playing
the Trombone. Gary’s love for singing followed him
into college at the University of Illinois where he
became a member of the U of I Glee Club. While at
the U of I Gary was able to achieve 2 Bachelor
Degrees: Ag Science as well as Ag Engineering. He
loved his Alma Mater so much he wanted to help
others in the field he loved so he created a LaForge
scholarship and was able to award it back in
2021.His love and passion for engineering he was
honored with: Distinguished Alumni Award and became
a member of the College of Aces. He also in his work
career became President of American Public Works
Association (APWA), worked with FEMA in storm water
recovery and disaster recovery, top engineer of many
projects country wide, and was a Professional
Engineer in both IL and NC and other military bases.
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Gary had the honor of
being able to sing with Diana Ross in Superbowl 30,
one accomplishment he loved to share. His next and
biggest achievement was becoming a father, where he
loved to coach baseball and soccer for his 3
wonderful sons. And seeing what becoming a girl dad
was all about. He was the biggest cheerleader for
all of his children by being at all sporting events
as well as performances that they had. His love for
his family and anyone he met never went unnoticed.
All that knew him can attest to his love for
Musicals, Westerns, Star Wars “Chewbacca”, Star
Trek, Dad Jokes, and his favorite show Expedition
Unknown with Josh Gates. He was loved by many and
will be deeply missed.
A funeral service will
be held for Gary at 1:00pm on Saturday, January 17,
2026 at New Holland Methodist Church in New Holland,
IL. Burial will follow at Richmond Grove in New
Holland. A celebration of Gary’s life luncheon will
be held immediately after the burial at New Holland
Methodist church, any and all are welcome to attend
and share in memories. In lieu of flowers, memorial
donations may be made in Gary’s name to his family
in the care of Lisa LaForge. Services have been
entrusted to Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home,
Lincoln.
Click here to send a note of condolence to the family of Gary
LaForge
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