'He genuinely loved what he did': Longtime Stockton pastor Rev. Gary Putnam dies at 84

Rev. Gary Putnam served many people on their spiritual journeys for more than 40 years.

On Sunday, June 23, at the age of 84 years old, Putnam spent his last hours on earth surrounded by his loved ones at his Stockton home. He was with his wife Gillian Murphy, two daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, and three grandchildren when he died.

"A family man, he absolutely adored his daughters and grandkids and had amazing humor," his wife Gillian Murphy, a retired dean at San Joaquin Delta College and a part-time adjunct business professor told The Record on Friday. "He was known for his wit, his wisdom and his puns."

Putnam, whose health started declining after his 80th birthday, died from cancer, Murphy said.

"He still enjoyed reading the newspaper. He loved old movies especially black and white movies," she said. The 1931 silent film, "City Lights" with Charlie Chaplin was his favorite.

Dedication to serving others

He was born Gary Bruce Putnam on Nov. 27, 1939, to schoolteacher parents Frederik Arthur Putnam and Alice Tena Samuelson in Lynch, Nebraska.

Putnam's early life was spent in the Midwest before moving to the Golden State. He was raised in Mapleton, Iowa, on a farm and lived there until his early 20s, Murphy said.

Putnam graduated class of 1957 from Mapleton High School and went on to attend Iowa State University where he graduated in 1961. In college, he shifted from aeronautical engineering to focus on ministry and religious studies, Putman's obituary states.

"I felt the Christian faith was relevant to all of life's questions," Putnam said in his interview with University of the Pacific in 2019. "I tried to match the faith up against the challenges of those questions."

He eventually obtained a graduate degree from Garrett Theological Seminary/Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. There Putnam further his interests in the church and social justice and serving others, according to his obituary.

He married Jennifer Taft Cook and had two daughters Elizabeth and Margaret. The couple divorced in 1976, just four years before he earned a Doctorate of Ministry degree at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California.

At the University of Northern Iowa, University of Wisconsin/La Crosse, and the Wesley Foundation at Iowa State University Putnam persuaded ministry through the Methodist church.

"Gary's impact at Iowa State was felt deeply within the church and on campus. Gary showed faith in action by helping students and local residents gain a sense of belonging, engagement and community through shared meals," the obituary states.

His worship days began as an intern at Hollywood's First Methodist Church, The Record reported.

"That was a very momentous he often spoke about that because it was kind of his first major internship," Murphy said. "I think he was the one that announced to the congregation that Marilyn Monroe had died the night or the day before or that morning very soon. He would talk about the audible gasp in the congregation when he announced that."

Life in Stockton

Murphy, an Ireland native, said the two married in 1989 after they moved to Stockton. The couple was married for 35 years.

"We were a very strong team with both of us supporting each of our separate careers and people often refer to us as a team," she said.

He moved to Stockton when he accepted a position as a university chaplain at University of the Pacific in Stockton. He was there from Aug. 1, 1983, to July 30, 1990, he told University of the Pacific during an interview in 2019.

The pastor began at the Central United Methodist Church in 1990 and served there until 2003 when he retired. Thirteen of his 41 years as a minister were spent at the Central United Methodist Church in Stockton.

"Gary spent a lot of his professional life as a campus minister working directly with students and that was huge, that was very fulfilling for him," Murphy said.

Putnam aside from having a fulfilled life himself, also met many influential people.

"He marched with Martin Luther King, 60 days before Martin Luther King was murdered. He met Martin Luther King Jr. at Iowa State University at the end of a presentation," Murphy said. "Dr. King was just sitting around waiting and Gary took the opportunity to go in and have a personal conversation with him that was something that was super important to him."

"He delighted in meeting Dolores Huerta as a local contact," she added.

Putnam worked with the African American student organization at University of the Pacific and was the first person to do a service at the private university honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Murphy said.

Murphy said Putnam had a "strong social justice background."

"He was definitely an inter multi-faith interactive and if you came to him and you were an atheist that was OK too," she said.

"[Putnam] was a loved pastor not only by the Central UMC members but also many Stocktonians. We lost a great spiritual mentor for our community," Pastor Sungho Lee for Central United Methodist Church said via email. "He was a champion of human rights and shepherd for lost souls. It would be great honor for me to follow his footsteps as a senior pastor of the Central UMC."

Remembering Rev. Putnam

Murphy said Putnam wanted to make a connection with people who helped him on his last day. He would ask the nurses where their names came from and other questions about themselves

He would remember what they told him, Murphy said.

"When we engaged hospice at the very end of his life...this nurse was going to come the next day," Murphy said. "I looked at the girls and I said 'your dad did her wedding.' She came the next day and I recognized her. I told Gary, 'what a lovely cycle and circle this is.'"

Putnam married over 500 couples and did many memorial services, Murphy said. He did "everyday and special days really well," she added.

Murphy said she would like the community of Stockton to remember his wit, his wisdom and his commitment to social justice.

"I've never met somebody who was intimidated by him once they met him. He genuinely loved to be with people. He genuinely loved what he did so he was very approachable," Murphy said. "His sermons were very down to earth. They were very much based on storytelling. They always had some jokes so if people met him in that way they would find out he was very personable, and that he had a good sense of humor."

Putnam leaves behind his wife, daughters, grandchildren, and extended family.

A life will be celebrated on Saturday, July 6, at 10 a.m., at Central United Methodist Church, 3700 Pacific Avenue, Stockton. A reception will follow at University of the Pacific Vereschagin Alumni House. The service will be live streamed at https://cumcstockton.org.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Longtime Stockton pastor Rev. Gary Putnam dies at 84