I just got some preliminary news that Gary Gaspar ( known as Cloud 9 on the site ) has passed away and this is heartwrenching for many of us who enjoyed his company, friendship and intense competition. Gary had some heart issues when young, went through numerous operations, but was very active and fit later in life. He was one of the main individuals to start the Boss Mustang Roundup , which morphed into the Mustang Roundup and he put in long hours and personal time to ensure the Event went off smoothly and was unique, combining both a Car Show, Ford Engineer Technical Night , and track time ( all timed, with trophies ). Gary ran his own very successful business ( Office Products ) in Sioux Falls, SD., but he was super active on this Forum , offering friendly advice , technical help and plenty of Mustang tips on new products. After an accident at Brainerd International Raceway , Gary decided it might be smart to hang up his track time, which was difficult as he had won the top Trophy at the Mustang Roundup, won numerous trophies there, grabbed a TT3 Championship in the Central Region of NASA ,just to name a few of his track successes. A quick glance at member will show Garys impact , because he had over 6500 posts even though he became pretty inactive after his track incident. Gary was a fierce competitor, would help anyone , and he was such a driving force for the Mustang Roundup. I know I will propose we name one of the highest trophy honors at this event in his honor , because to a large degree he was who helped birth this Fast Ford Event more than anyone else!!

Godspeed Gary, you are definitely on " Cloud 9 " now!!

HOLY COW!!!!!!!.....This is a shocker!!!!!...R.I.P. Cloud 9........If TMO ever has a "Ring of Honor" , like some football stadiums have, Gary would surly be included!!!!!.......I remember Gary posting that he got his Boss in CO for the same reason I did.......our Wives wanted it that way...................

Here's the obit........only 56....I'm still in shock!!!!... https://www.siouxfalls.business/interstate-office-products-ceo-gary-gaspar-dies-at-56/

R.I.P. Gary

Wow I'm speechless. What sad news. Gary was a great guy and was the one that really set the tone of BMO/TMO from the very start. He insisted that people post data to back up any modifications and how they impacted lap times. Gary was one of the first BMO members. We first met at Boss TrackAttack in August 2011 and met several times over the years. Our families even met up when we were all vacationing on Maui. He was very proud of his two sons and the youngest was basically running their business over the past couple of years. I last talked to him this past Fall after he received his Mach E GT which he really enjoyed. RIP buddy.

Here's a few photos:
1 Gary and John Ledy when we were at Chuckwalla for the first BMO event. @ArizonaBOSS and @Grant 302 were there and this was there first time we all met. We had a great time.
2 Gary, Ron and I attended a Corvette school at Spring Mountain. We showed the Corvette crowd how to drive and Gary and Ron were the fastest drivers in our advanced class.
3 Gary and me at GT350 Track Attack
4 Gary, me, Nick, Ron and Ben (along with a couple of other TMO members) at the final day of GT350 Track Attack

Very sad to hear

RIP Gary. Never met Gary but had a few phone conversations with him. Great guy!

Sorry to hear this. Gary you will be missed. The world will not be the same without you.

Really sad news. I met Gary over ten years ago at Track Attack as well. Such a great guy, he will be missed.

Fat Boss said:

Really sad news. I met Gary over ten years ago at Track Attack as well. Such a great guy, he will be missed.

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That was the first time we met as well.

Very sad. Very young. RIP Gary

I want to say I met that guy at an IMSA race back in the Boss302online days, sorry to here of his passing, especially at such a young age.

Yes, this is terrible news. He was a great guy and gone far too soon.

Thanks for the pics VoodooBoss, Gary was the consummate Gearhead and he would enjoy the shots of he and his friends at the track!

I never had the opportunity to meet Gary but it's obvious he was a huge influence here over the years - and based on the article Bob linked to, he was a strong influence in the lives of a lot of people he came in contact with. Really sorry to read about this, and even more sorry to find out that his struggle with depression resulted in the premature end of his life.

Please people, if you're battling depression, seek help and don't just dismiss it. If it's not getting better, seek different help. Our brains are powerful forces, and sometimes they can be our own worst enemy.

Rest in peace Gary. There's no doubt you'll be missed.

R I P Gary... he was a force of nature here from back in the BMO days and helped make the Boss Reunion what it is today.. I love the idea of naming a trophy after him... and am not sure whether a moment of silence or a moment of redline rpm would be more appropriate... it hits close to home, we are the same age..

VoodooBoss said:

Gary and John Ledy when we were at Chuckwalla for the first BMO event. @ArizonaBOSS and @Grant 302 were there and this was there first time we all met. We had a great time.

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That we did…back in 2013.

How many things did he break on the CVR school car(s)?

And I’ll always remember how he laughed as all the crap got unpacked from my car in true Mustang Tetris form. I think he would’ve laughed harder if he watched me cram it all back in…with the rear fascia from Chris.

RIP Gary, you were one of the good ones.

Gary invited me to go on the Chuckwalla trip but work interfered. After hearing all the fun you guys had when he got back , I wished I had tried harder to balance things out. Grant, you are so right Gary was one of the good ones, and he had some super memories from this trip to SoCal!

@Grant 302 yep those Mustangs broke but I think it was the quality of maintenance they received. Or maybe we did drive the wheels off of them.

As Chris mentioned if you need help please reach out and let someone know you’re struggling. We’re all here for you too. Never give up seeking help.

Here’s a photo of the flowers I sent on our behalf. Theresa, Gary’s wife, mentioned there were over 500 people at the visitation last night. The funeral was this morning