McGARRY - Michael P. Born in 1942, in Buffalo, New York and passed away last month with his family at his side in their AZ home. He is survived by his wife Peg, of 56 years; his seven children, Mindy, Mike, Chris, Joe, Jon, Sean and Rachel; eighteen grandchildren; his sister, Mickey Slind; and multiple nieces and nephews. Always keen to meet a new friend and share a hearty laugh, Mike's outgoing personality radiated friendliness. Profoundly dedicated to his family and wife. Mike was a man of great faith in Jesus Christ who consistently prioritized his wife and children over his career. He was a gifted teacher and taught the Bible in a variety of churches. Mike had a deep love of scripture and took great comfort in the words and life of his favorite disciple, Peter. An avid fisherman, golfer, guitar player, deer hunter, pun enthusiast and frustrated Bills fan, Mike had an insatiable curiosity, read voraciously, and simply adored Peg. Together they strove to live these words of scripture in their fullest sense: "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:5-6). Growing up on East Delevan Avenue on Buffalo's east side, Mike attended Timon HS, Canisius College and in 1969, earned his PhD in developmental biology from Purdue University. After post-doctoral research at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, Dr. McGarry returned to his hometown in 1970 and began a 30-year career in basic research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). In 1975, Dr. McGarry was appointed director of the RPCI's Springville Laboratory. From 1976 until the early 1990s, he and Peg made their home in and were prominently engaged in, the Springville community. Dr. McGarry coached little league teams, mentored middle school students through the Western New York Science Congress and served on the School Board. In the early 1990s, Dr. McGarry was appointed the RPCI's Director of Laboratory Animal Resources and his role shifted to downtown Buffalo; he and Peg moved their home to Orchard Park, NY. In 2000, Dr. McGarry retired from RPCI and joined the staff at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. He worked as a Resident Scientist for three years and as a Visiting Scientist over the next ten. In 2003, Dr. McGarry was appointed Director of the Animal Care Program at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ and subsequently retired from full-time employment in 2007. Over his career, Dr. McGarry authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles (including publication in the prestigious journals Nature [1976] and Science [2004]). He also authored book chapters, a laboratory manual on the examination of blood and blood-forming tissues of the laboratory mouse and served for 16 years as Associate Editor of the journal Experimental Hematology. In addition to conducting his own research, Dr. McGarry also taught graduate school classes and mentored graduate students through RPCI's academic program with SUNY Buffalo. He was widely recognized as an elite, world-leading scholar in his field. However, Mike always considered these achievements to pale in comparison to the joy he took in his faith and family. At Mike's request, his celebration of life will be held at a later date when we are all able to congregate safely. Donations in Mike's name can be made to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute here: https://give.roswellpark.org/site/TR/TeamRoswell/