Four years later...What have you missed? You'd be a VERY proud graduate of Villanova  College of Engineering (PENNDOT can use some incite as to wrong-way interstate drivers. You always had an opinion & chose to pursue civil engineering). You'd be a HUGE fan of their basketball team as they captured the National Championship. Somehow, you saw it all.

Your cousins are grown, matured; excelling in their studies and passions. Your Grandmas, Aunts & Uncles will always remember the special place you have in our family. We are getting old. Our love for you will NEVER be old. Til we meet in Paradise...

Although Gary was born in November 1993, he was not baptized until Jan 9, 2004 at St. MIchael's Church, Old Forge. In the Catholic church, this day in 1994 was also "Jesus' Baptism". Little did we know, Gary would grow up to be such a devout person. HIs godparents were Aunt Linda and Uncle Michael. He began attending Mass regularly as a toddler, and was usually very well behaved.  We transferred to St. John the Baptist Church in Taylor once he started catechism. There were many more children in that parish-- children that he knew from Little Biggar,  attended REW with, and later knew in High School. Friends for life! "Father Phil" Altavilla was a positive influence on any young Catholic. He was just what a child needed in a priest. I believe Fr. Phil molded Gary into a good person, knowing and loving God. I convinced Gary to be an altar server, a duty he took seriously. (As a compromise, I was to become a eucharistic minister. I let him down.) In sixth grade, Father Pauselli became our pastor. Gary received the sacrement of Confirmation that year. He chose Eddie to be his sponsor and he picked "Ian" as his middle name. Ian is a form of "John"....there are many reasons to have a John the Baptist statue in Gary's memory. (read Luke Chapter 1) Gary continued to serve a few masses under Father Pauselli, but went into semi-retirement due to travel hockey and PSU football. His faith didn't take a back road, ever. No matter what town we were in with hockey, we found a Mass to attend while his teammates fooled around at the hotel or at the rink. We shared our travel mass plans with his friend Zach Mangan and his mom Vanessa. The five of us, at mass, on the road. I'll never forget the Palm Sunday mass in Lake Placid during our CanAm tournament in 2008. An elderly gentleman behind us gave Gary a palm branch woven into a cross. It is still on his wall. Zach and Vanessa shared that moment with us. Father Pauselli took a liking to Gary because he wore all the different sport T-shirts to church. Through cancer & then hospice, Father saw the person that we all knew.  Gary's final sacrement was in hospice...3 days in a row. Twice from Father Pauselli, and once from a visting Father Phil. Fr Pauselli visited Gary daily, bringing chocolate milkshakes and gifts from the evening's prayer services. Our supportive family and Hospice of the Sacred Heart nurses were always here to comfort us. My last words to Gary (after the prom) were "dont forget to say your prayers" and "I love you". He responded that he already said 2 and was on his third prayer. He gave his soul to the Lord the next morning. We wept.

Ali, Matthew, Michael, Samantha, Vera, GARY, Kayla, Nikolai, Abby, Jackson & Wyatt. Gary had 10 cousins whom he enjoyed dearly. He had 5 older than him, and 5 younger. He loved being with them and was looking forward to the family OBX vacation in July 2012. On the Lukasiewicz side, Gary was made to feel like a prince. He was the only grandchild. He was doted on by his Grandma and Grandpa Lukasiewicz, & Aunt Linda and Uncle Joe. He and Grandma Sedlak were very close because she watched him from infancy. I'll never forget the time when Gary was a toddler, she returned from a vacation to Oregon. Gary cried with joy when he saw her coming down the escalator at the AVP airport. The Sedlak's are spread throughout 5 states (PA,VA,TX,OR & MA); each family loving Gary as their own. Our family is missing a dear grandson, nephew, & cousin. And our home is missing our smiling, energetic, loving son.

Gary's love for sports crossed all seasons. Baseball and soccer were the first for him to try. When ice hockey came to the Wachovia Arena, Gary fell in love. For him, hockey was a sport different from the mainstream baseball, football  & basketball. This is why he loved it so much...he loved that it was different than Riverside. Of course, it was all about the equipment, too. Hence, a baseball catcher and a hockey goalie. In second grade, he started with roller hockey in KIngston, then made the switch to ice. I would take Gary to the WBS Pens games, and we would watch the goalies. This is how he learned. We talked about positioning and rebounds. We watched only the goalie. He played hockey almost year round since second grade, sticking with the "house leagues" until he was a Bantam. Then, I allowed him to play limited travel ice hockey. We didn't travel each weekend and we weren't living in a hockey rink or a car on the turnpike. He became a skilled goalie and he loved the challenge. He attended a grueling goalie camp in Newburg, NJ when he was a freshman, where he upped his game and his goalie knowledge. He came home and composed a WORD document to remember his lessons and drills. He was the goalie that his friends tried to beat, and Gary loved the toughest competition. When a Scranton varstiy game went into double overtime, he was hoping for a shoot-out. He wanted the game on his shoulders. He came out on top; one of the best games he ever played!! I think he had 60 saves! Another memorable hockey event was playing at the Wachovia Arena for the 2010 Casey Classic holiday tournament Championship game. He was a sophomore. Gary excelled throughout the tournament, and the Scranton Lightning were tournament champions! Hockey was his favorite sport and he took every game seriously. Thank goodness he was able to get back on the ice before his cancer came back. He had some great games in 2011 and loved being with his friends again on the WBS Jr Pens and the Scranton Lightning. Because of hockey, Gary was known throughout the valley. He had friends from nearly every school district.

As a toddler, it was apparent Gary had a delay in his speech development. No, it wasn't because I was talking "for him" or that he had a hearing problem. He began speech therapy at our home at age 2 1/2, then transitioned to a daycare/preschool setting. Later, Gary attended Little Biggar. He fell in love with learning, thanks to Miss Linda, Miss Rita, & Miss Andrea. He became known as "Gary L" (NOT "Gary Nestor", who was a sweet hand-full). Gary continued speech therapy into 3rd Grade. I'll never forget sitting with practice sheets to help him with his sounds. He was so frustrated sometimes, but it all paid off. (Oh, those days!) Riverside Elementary West was where he really began to LOVE school. He was a tutor, a peer-mediator & on the Student Council. The transition to Jr High was a little tough on him, but with some help, he overcame that obstacle. I never went to teachers conferences past 7th grade, but it is now apparent to me that Gary was loved by all, including the teachers & support staff. Throughout his chemo, Gary prioritized schoolwork over anything else. His goal was to graduate with his class and not be "held-back" academically. "Mission Accomplished"

As a toddler, Gary loved "Thomas the Tank", then progressed through the Super heroes. Batman was his favorite. Next was Star Wars, dressing as young Anakin one Halloween, single braid of hair and all. He looked just like Anakin! It didn't take long for Gary to love sports...Penn State, Jets, and Red Sox. ALL of his Dad's favorite teams (the Sixers were his own fav as Dad didnt watch the NBA). Gary & Chet spent weekends watching their teams. Gary was most intrigued by their rookies and minor league prospects. It was a passion to see the men turn pro; and to check every possible/committed 18yr old that was headed to Joe Paterno's team. Gary watched every NFL draft, logging the picks into a tablet. As he wrote, he remembered. Watching the NFL, he could tell you the college & round for most rookies (linemen & defensive backs too, not just RBs & QBs). Going to his first Blue-White game at State College & meeting Larry Johnson was fantastic; Gary was hooked! We tried to go to at least one game a season, but it was exciting to follow Penn State to 2 bowls games in Florida. We watched the Red Sox in Boston & Baltimore many times; we also went to their games in Cleveland & Philly. We saw the Pawtucket RedSox in RI, and Portland Seadogs in Maine. Another trip to "Futures at Fenway", we watched the Lowell Spinners. Gary loved baseball & scored each game as he watched. Penn State was his PASSION!

Gary was a gift from God in every way. Many prayers were offered, to finally have a child. Our prayers were answered.The blizzard of '93 was the week we unexpectedly saw a positive pregnancy test. Our child would be due in November. It was the most amazing miracle of all.

As a youngster, I would put Gary to bed with the story of "There once was a mom and a dad that prayed and prayed to have a baby. And finally their prayers were answered. They named their baby boy, Gary". Well, Gary always had the biggest smile, with a proud look on his face as he fell asleep, knowing how much he was wanted and loved. This makes me so happy. He was always told how much he was loved... I'm so glad!

I tried to re-tell this bedtime story to Gary while he was in hospice. I could never get it out because my tears where choking me. Without this story, though, he was told over and over how much he was loved.