Gary Lee Savage, who spent decades shaping national and international electrical engineering standards while quietly anchoring a family through decades of profound loss, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2026, in Houston, Texas.
Engineering Standards and Decades of Quiet Devotion
Born on April 11, 1948, Savage built a life defined by resilience and steady commitment. Back in 1966, he graduated from Houston’s San Jacinto High School as a top-ten student and one of the year’s Outstanding Senior Boy Athletes. Those academic and athletic achievements brought scholarship offers from Yale and Dartmouth, among several other colleges.
Choosing family over distant prestige, Savage enrolled at the University of Houston to remain close to home and support his mother and sister. That foundational choice set the tone for a life of quiet sacrifice. Savage taught his mother to drive when she was in her late sixties, cared for his disabled sister until her death in 2020, and held his only child, Amber Savage, as she passed away at age 40. He subsequently raised Amber’s youngest child through high school graduation.
Professionally, Savage reached the pinnacle of electrical wire and cable engineering. He retired only recently in 2025 at age 76, leaving behind a legacy as one of the top subject matter experts in the country. For decades, he lent his expertise to numerous US National and International Electrical Standards Setting Committees, balancing technical rigor with a deliberate, people-first approach to life.
Memorial Services Scheduled in Huntsville
Cheryl, his wife, survives him, alongside his stepchildren—Casey Markey with his wife Kimberly, Ryan Thomason, and Stacy Carney with her husband Michael—as well as his nine grandchildren: Robyn and Kayla Savage, Cameron Anderson, Mason and Morgan Lowe, Avery Laughlin, Jaxon Carney, and Madalyn and Connor Markey.
Those who passed away before him include his mother, Lucille Ciesielski Savage, his daughter Amber Savage, and his sister Barbara Savage.
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, November 14th at 2:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, located at 1016 Sam Houston Avenue in Huntsville, TX 77320. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be directed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation or a charity of the donor’s choice.
