Gary Backman

Gary Ralph Backman, 61, Bismarck, died February 20, 2017, at CHI St. Alexius Health, Bismarck. Services will be held at 11:30 am Saturday, February 25, at First Lutheran Church, 800 N 7th St., Bismarck, with Rev. Allen Wagner officiating. Gary was usually found in casual clothing, and per his request, would appreciate if you did the same for his funeral service and come in comfortable clothes! Visitation will be held from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Friday, February 24, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service will begin at 7:30 pm. Gary was born July 8, 1955, in Bismarck, ND, the son of Ralph and Ruth (Ollenburger) Backman. He was raised in Wilton through the 5th grade. After the passing of his father in 1965, the family moved to Bismarck, where Gary graduated from Bismarck High School in 1973. He married Carol Anhorn on June 11, 1976, at First Lutheran Church, Bismarck, and the couple had two sons, Travis and Michael. Gary was a ‘jack of all trades’, he loved woodworking, welding, working on cars, and his new found hobby of building and riding a drift trike. You could always count on his quality of work because of his constant attention to detail. He especially loved spending time with his grandkids. On Saturday mornings, Gary could be found at the Lowe’s Build a Project with his little “Buddies” in tow sharing his knowledge with them. He was always willing to drop what he was doing to go help someone with a project or problem. Gary has worked for the City of Bismarck since 1989, most recently as a solid waste crew leader for the landfill until the day of his passing. Gary is survived by his wife of 40 years, Carol; two sons, Travis (Robyn) and Mike (Lori); four grandchildren “Buddies”, Derryck, Jordyn, Jazmynn, Krystal, and one great-granddaughter, Stella; his sisters, Kaye (Jim) Dalbec, Nancy Bohl, and Janet Garvin; one very special uncle, Garland Grosgebauer; and many other loving family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Ruth Backman; and one sister, Kathleen.