San Luis Obispo

Gary Byrnes Holloway passed away peacefully on December 28, 2024 at the age of 75. He was surrounded by his family in his San Luis Obispo, CA home following a prolonged battle with cancer. Born January 23, 1949 in Corpus Christi, Texas to CDR Urcel Byrnes Holloway USN (ret) and Gale Murray Holloway, Gary was their second child, and eldest son of 4 children.

Growing up in a Navy family, his younger years were spent between Hawaii, California, Washington, Maryland, and Virginia before his father retired and the family settled in Carmel Valley, CA. At Carmel High School, Gary earned varsity letters in Football, Baseball, and chess club, while also enjoying other activities like swimming and high board diving.

Shortly after High school, Gary joined the US Navy, where he was deployed to Vietnam. Following his active-duty time, Gary remained in the Naval Reserves and served for atotal of 24 years, from October 1970 to October 1994, largely as a naval salvage hardhat diver. He retired as an E6/PO1 Electrical Technician, following Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

Upon returning to Carmel, he met his wife Lynda Lynne Goddard and they were married August 29th, 1976 at the Naval Postgraduate School Protestant Chapel in Monterey, CA. They subsequently moved to San Luis Obispo where Gary attended Cuesta College, earning an AA in Automotive Mechanical Engineering, which he later employed as the owner of Holloway Automotive. He maintained a lifelong love and fascination with all things mechanical/electrical, especially cars. Starting in high school he always had aproject car and he never turned down a long drive. This passion also led to acareer in the power industry working for Westinghouse and GE as a Nuclear Powerplant Reactor Inspector.

When he wasn’t traveling for work, his free time was spent with family. He loved to play sports with his boys: basketball, baseball, wrestling, camping and teaching them about cars. He participated in his sons' extracurricular activities, including leading the local high school Boosters’ club and regularly attending Boy Scouts camping trips.

Gary was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who may have needed it, with no questions asked.

Gary had agiving soul, and will be missed by all who knew him and those whose lives were changed from knowing him. He is survived by his wife, Lynda Lynne Holloway; sons, Byron Byrnes Holloway, DO(wife - Ann Holloway, DO) and Jason Murray Holloway, DVM; grandsons, Jordan and Matthew; and siblings – LCDR Kathleen Holloway USN (ret), Patrice Diane Gregory, RN (husband G.W. Gregory III, MD), and Mark Bennett Holloway (wife Dianna).

Gary’s Celebration of Life was be held June 28, 2025 at the Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, CA.