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1992. Photo by DanielMacKay
April 6, 1960 - August 4, 2026
The eldest of three children, Gary grew up in the west end of Halifax, attended St Agnes School on Mumford until grade 9, then St Pat's on Quinpool. He attended a couple of years at Dalhousie University, got a diploma in computer programming from the Community College on Leeds Street, was immediately hired by the federal government and was with them for 30 years, his entire career which culminated as "Senior Technical Specialist."
Gary's sister Susan says that their parents felt strongly about passing on a sense of family, community, and contributing. “He admired people who stood up and spoke out when occasion warranted,” she says.
Pre-puberty, he was pretty sure he was gay, and when puberty hit that was confirmed. He confided in his sisters before his parents, and came out in Halifax in the early 1980s.
His family was very close; his sister says they were apart for Christmas only a handful of times.
In Halifax, Gary was involved in many 2SLGBTQIA+ teams and projects that were central to our community. The ones we know about: he was on the board of the Gay And Lesbian Association in 1993, Halifax Pride in 2003, and joined the GAEZette, which became WayvesMagazine, for the July/August issue of 1990. We have a photo of him carrying the banner for the magazine in the 1995 Pride Parade here. (jpg)
And, he had an extraordinary velvety deep voice, and perhaps as a result, had a volunteer career in radio: he had his own show on the Dalhousie University radio station, CKDU, and also was part of a deliciously weird experimental music show called ‘’Idle Reels.’’
In Halifax, Gary sang in several choirs, following director Peter Togni. In Maitland he joined the local madrigal group, “The Mill Race Early Music Consort”.
2005
In 2002, Gary met Scott James Price, they were married in 2006 and moved to Maitland in 2014. Scott died in 2019 at age 54.
While living in Maitland, Gary worked at Global Pet Foods in Truro and there are some charming photos of him as Pet Santa. Never one to shy away from a performance, he also dressed in costume for the village’s annual parade which celebrates the launch of the William D Lawrence ship in 1874.
He was one of the founding members of the CHART society there – the Cultural Heritage Arts Society and High Tides Community Centre which promotes the history and culture of the area. He was treasurer of that up until last year.
One of many things that people would notice about Gary was his effortless good manners, learned from his parents and both grandmothers, say his sister and niece.
Gary passed away suddenly, apparently of a heart attack.
Gary's biography is under construction. If you can contribute at all - if you
please email us with facts and stories.
When I moved to Halifax in 1991 I immediately became involved in producing the GAEZETTE – the newspaper that was soon to become Wayves.
As anyone who was around publishing, activism and parts of the queer community then will tell you, we used to spend an inordinate amount of time producing various newspapers, newsletters, magazines etc.
This required many planning meetings and the inevitable very long layout meeting – often using a light table and wax we would create all those periodicals that you can now see online or in archives.
There was no one who could be counted on more to turn this pressurized experience into a pleasant one than Gary Hanrahan.
Gary, with his fundamental human decency, would work hard in production but also report on the goings on of his family and the latest news from both the esoteric and traditional music scenes that so interested him.
Gary did not have an agenda in these meetings other than putting out a quality product. He could solve problems and diffuse tension. He could entertain.
And how could anyone not be charmed by that smile and personality? To say nothing of that amazing baritone voice that cut through any discussion and calmed any situation.
I ran into Gary at a Pride event on the waterfront some years after moving away from Nova Scotia and he came up to me with a warm hug and kiss. I realized then how much I missed working with him. The years tend to get away from us but the good guys like Gary remain part of our lives even when we don’t see them.
It's a long time ago - it seems that positive feelings last longer than concrete memories. 💟
I have so many wonderful memories of him.
Gary and Scott moved to the house in Maitland in 2014 (I think) and they both got involved in CHART right away. Our first project together, as a couple of "not from Maitlanders" was presenting at the community Engagement Session for acquiring the Church and Hall. After the money was raised, we wrestled mountains of receipts to do all the reporting. It was fun!!
Gary was so important to us all that meetings just couldn't start without him. He always strived for accuracy and excellence. His booming voice, friendly and comforting presence and all the fun times seeing him "counting the cash" and trying to stay calm around other members' antics will always bring smiles. It was Gary that brought Music 🎶 Royale shows to High Tides too: classy!!
I'll really miss Gary... it was great to work with him even when things weren't quite working well.
We still have his Annalammetic Sundial Project to finish for Queen Elizabeth 👸; I think we should get it done in his honour.
You know I was thinking about Gary just the other day and I had not thought about him for a while.
Gary was such a joy to know, so kind and he had so much integrity. He was my lead bass during my first tenure as music director at the Basilica.
He was so inspiring to work with, always gave his very best and more! He had an incredible range and would often ask, “do you want the last note down an octave”! He was so respectful that he would ask and not just do it, as is sometimes the case. When I first took on the role, he welcomed me with open arms and was very encouraging, he also led me to some good musical resources to look for new music.
Gary also sang in some of my smaller ensembles I put together for concerts and recordings. Having him in any of my choirs was such a gift, he was such a team player, always providing a solid foundation musically and spiritually.
He was a rare gem, I will miss him deeply.
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