Gary Irving Syverson of Alexandria died May 12, 2022, at the age of 72. Gary was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 1950, in Rush City, Minnesota, to Irving and Syrene Syverson. He grew up in and around Kerkhoven before the family moved to Willmar while Gary was in junior high. Gary excelled at basketball and football for the “other” Cardinals. And it was in Willmar where he met Nancy Jo Stewart, who would become a high school sweetheart and eventually his wife of almost 50 years.