| Notes |
- Gary spent most of his life in the United States Air Force. In addition, he graduated with a degree in history, Russian and pedagogy, and worked as a business teacher for many years after retiring from the military and until moving to Iceland in 1984.
- As written by his brother-in-law, Arnþór Garðarsson, and translated through Google translator from Icelandic to English:
"My brother-in-law and friend, Morris Garfield Sleight, was born on December 31, 1927, in Rochester, New York, USA. He died at the oncology ward of Landspítali in Reykjavík on February 27, 2000.
Morris Garfield was usually called Gary, but it had the Icelandic name and was then called Már. Gary and my sister Bergljót were married by Reverend Jón Thorarensen in the Hallgrímskirkja choir on January 15, 1952. They met while both were studying at the University of Syracuse, N.Y. For a long time we remembered the adventure when Gary went after the woman to Iceland in the blackest short day and bad weather, to get married in conditions that were in many ways foreign to him, the country, the weather and folk customs, not least diet and drinking habits. He immediately showed every man he had in mind, a brave and kneeling outdoorsman, a polite companion and pleasant, and above all honest, well-meaning and honest.
For the next few decades, Bergljót lived across the United States, where Gary served in the Air Force, usually for several years in each location, including Texas, Colorado, Alaska, Utah, Wisconsin, and finally in the capital, Washington. He was in Vietnam for one year but the family lived in Iceland and they lived in Germany for a few years. The marriage was successful, though both temperamental and determined.
My brother-in-law was raised in the Catholic faith and sang in church. As a child, he sang in church choirs and always enjoyed singing and classical music. In his later years, after settling in Iceland, he began singing in a church choir again and writing notes for use in singing and was until recently the last active member of the Kópavogur Choir and the Áskirkja Choir in Reykjavík.
Gary was a searching soul, curious about the affairs of the people and foreign lands, and had a great love of languages and literature. Hospitality and helpfulness were instilled in him, and many enjoyed it, both family and well-to-do. After the couple moved to Iceland in 1984, Gary began studying Icelandic and finally mastered the language. Cooking was Gary's hobby and he excelled with precision and genius. He also practiced a variety of sports of passion, skiing, jogging, swimming and golf and never missed an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. The expanse and the weather of Iceland had the heart and soul of this good boy."
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1927 - 2000 (72 years)
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