Gary and his wife Jackie love the mountains. Their treks include climbs in Yosemite, Alaska, the Alps and the Rockies. Their high country experiences, plus Gary's trips with his family, led him to coin the phrase Never Quit Climbing. In fact, he began to use it years ago in letters, emails and his speaking opportunities.

​

However, in 2003 he and Jackie tackled her first 14er, Gray's Peak, in Colorado. While not a difficult ascent for experienced mountaineers, it was the beginning of a much bigger climb for them that began only three months later. Jackie was diagnosed with stage 3 colon/rectal cancer. The next eighteen months were filled myriad tests, does of radiation, chemo treatments and surgeries.

​

However, they soon realized that what they used climbing peaks of granite could be applied on their new personal mountain. Overcoming a life-sized mountain also requires getting up that trail one switchback at a time. Using these newly applicable concepts they were able to summit their biggest mountain of all, Mt. Cancer. Jackie is cancer-free today. More recently in December of 2022, Gary had a kidney transplant which became another personal mountain but thankfully he is doing well.

​

Of course, not all summits are reached, but Never Quit Climbing provides a variety of helps to get anyone as far up their mountain as possible. A related quest and topic is to help motivate and re-energize people and organizations where leaders and teams feel discouraged, unproductive and as though they’re accomplishing very litter.

Gary and Jackie also work together part-time with Slavic Worship, helping worship and lead pastors in Eastern Europe and Central Asia grow their leaders and wisely handle the challenges they face in life and ministry.