Lasting Memories

Henry Matthew Gay
July 28, 1924-May 20, 2017
Lahaina, Hawaii

Henry Matthew Gay III, formerly of Atherton CA, passed away peacefully on May 20, 2017 at his home in Lahaina, HI. He was 92.

Henry’s was born in Minot, North Dakota in 1924, the third of four children born to Henry and Marion Gay. The family moved to Bozeman, MT when Henry was eight.

Henry attended Bozeman Senior High School and Montana State University, where his studies were interrupted by World War II. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army in 1943 and served in Europe until the war’s end.

Henry graduated from M.S.U. in 1949 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and, in 1950, took a job with International Business Machines in Los Angeles.

At IBM, Henry met his future wife, Jan Craig, in a training class in which she was the instructor. The two were married in 1952 and their only son, Craig, was born in 1955.

Moving with I.B.M. from Los Angeles, to Endicott (New York), Denver, and Salt Lake City, Henry was promoted to Branch Manager of I.B.M.’s San Francisco office in 1960 and the family settled in the mid-peninsula in Atherton.

In 1970, Henry left I.B.M. to found DynaComp, a computer services provider. In 1972, with partners William W. Stevens and Donald J. Ruder, Henry launched Triad Systems Corporation, a technology company that provided business management hardware and software to the automotive aftermarket.

Henry retired from Triad in 1980 to care for Jan, who had contracted Multiple Sclerosis ten years earlier. The two subsequently divided their time between Atherton and Maui, HI.

Henry was an active member and elder of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and Kumulani Chapel on Maui.

He served on the Board of Governors of Regent College (Vancouver, BC) and was an early board member of the Silicon Valley Bank. He loved dogs, skiing, hiking and the mountains of the West. He lived by the motto “I am Third,” honouring Jesus, then others and lastly himself.

Known for his longstanding devotion to Jan, Henry passed away within 48 hours of her death. They will both be greatly missed. Henry and Jan are survived by their son, Craig (Julie) and their four grandchildren, Andrew (Casey), Elsa, Owen and Nicholas, and Happy the Dog.

A memorial service for them both will be held at Kumulani Chapel, Maui, on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 2 pm. Donations in honor of Henry can be made to Young Life Maui and/or Kumulani Chapel.