Gary “Butch” Allen Bandy, 80, from Los Angeles, California, passed away Oct. 5, 2021. He had a unique ability to defy stereotypes and conventions; Gary was a businessman and an artist, a developer and a farmer, an avid reader and accomplished fisherman.
Gary was born March 8, 1941 to Gerald and Emilia Bandy at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles County, and he grew up in the San Fernando Valley. A life-long outdoorsman, Gary was so proud to be the youngest member, at that time, to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
He grew up in California in a time of enormous change, and despite the many obstacles he had to overcome, Gary embodied so much of what characterized California at that time: optimism and growth, resilience and confidence, and both power and possibility.
Gary was a talented mechanic and machinist who was a proud member of the Drifters car club in high school, and he incorporated those talents into his work in his father’s Burbank machine shop, which primarily served the aerospace industry. Under Gary’s leadership, Bandy Hinge became a pillar of the aerospace industry, and his hinges were critical to the successful design and effectiveness of fighter jets, the Space Shuttle, and passenger planes.
Translating the success of Bandy Hinge into real estate development, Gary helped build Burbank into a hub for technology and innovation as well as for the entertainment industry. His buildings add fun and flair where others chose drab and predictable; factories and office buildings featured towers and turrets. Troll Haven, a working farm he built in Washington state that features a castle, troll statues and dragon gates, attracts visitors from all over the world.
He loved his family: wife Greta; children Brett, Cindy, Jennifer, Garrett, Melanie, Jarrod, Geoffrey, Matthew, Ellexandria, Emilia, Beatrice; and brother Dennis. Gary was honored to have 11 children, 12 grandchildren and 2 great -grandchildren who he adored, and whose enduring memories will include fishing trips, riding with him around the farm, and traveling by boat to the toy store. His legacy lives on in his many accomplishments, in the memories of his family, and the stories they and all who knew him will tell and remember.
Memorial service to be announced separately.
