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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 at least two shows on CKDU, the Dalhousie University radio station. One was a deliciously weird experimental music show called Idle Reels. Another was Short Happy Life - half hour readings of short stories.
The first 20 second intro to the show is very gritty sounding, then it switches to a good recording.
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 five years later 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.1 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. We have some great photos of Gary on stage and in costume.2
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 Celebration of Life was on August 23, 2026 at the High Tides Art and Community Centre Hall in Maitland with a reception after.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the CHArt Society.
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. 💟3
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.
I met Gary when he and his partner Scott moved to Maitland. Scott was in our book club and after he passed away Gary took his place. I always looked forward to his book choices and insightful comments about other people’s books. I also got to know that velvety bass voice. It was because of this voice that I started a singing group that specialized in early a capella singing. With only a handful of us we managed to do some lovely pieces in three parts. And Gary often volunteered to go down the octave, especially on the last note. We will miss him!
I first got to know Gary through joining the GAEZETTE (later Wayves) community "gay & lesbian" (the language of the day) newsletter collective in 1990. He was approachable, intelligent, had that beautifully resonant deep voice... and was very easy to like. He also was clearly a dedicated volunteer supporting the community.
When I decided to run for the GALA board Chair in spring of 1992 - when the organization was on the verge of bankruptcy - I asked Gary to join me (and a few others) as Vice-Chair, thus offering as a group, a slate of new directors with the shared and singular goal of getting the organization back on solid financial footing. Gary was an easy choice to ask - he was intelligent, level-headed and well liked, and we needed stability during a very tumultuous time. There was also a lot of work to be done, and I knew Gary wouldn't shirk on handling his part of it.
A year and a half later, having succeeded in our goal of financial stability, I stepped down as Board Chair and Gary took over until the next AGM. It was later that summer (1994) that, on very short notice, I asked Gary to join me (and 10 other singing friends) to learn and then perform the song Silent No More I had just written to mark the Stonewall 25th (the Stonewall riots being the origin of all "Pride" marches, and later Pride festivals and parades...). We had less than a week to be ready, but we performed it at the Rumours variety show that followed the Pride Parade. Gary was an obvious choice - as he had an amazing (and extra deep) Bass voice.
After that, my plans to go back to school took me away from many of the community things that Gary and I had in common - and we lost contact for a time. Eventually we'd become Facebook friends and keep abreast of developments in each other's lives there - and crossed paths in person on rare social occasions too. Then a few years ago we crossed paths in person again at a BBQ and reconnected as two widows commiserating over shared experiences of that very misunderstood designation.
I was looking forward to more chats with Gary, and a planned visit with him in Maitland this summer which will now never happen. He was a lovely person, and longtime colleague in many common community interests. I'm so sorry he left us so soon.4
My name is Jim. Gary and I have been friends for several years. Shortly after Scott passed, Gary wanted to reach out and meet some people from different parts of the gay community in rural Nova Scotia. So he came to a party at a barn in Berwick one evening, rumoured to be a meetup for adventurous men. When I saw him there, I thought he was very shy (much laughter). He didn'[t say much, he just sort of sat and watched. When he finally did open up a bit, I realized that I was completely wrong in my initial assessment. He had a lot of stories to tell, many intricate tales, and it became obvious that he was a really fun guy, always looking to explore and expand his...horizons..
Gary became a central figure among this group of people. Willing to help coordinate and even host periodic meetups and gatherings and to connect with people within that section of the gay community who wanted to explore together. He was such a fantastic host; he made everyone feel relaxed and welcome and often treated us to his fine cooking. He was especially proud of his Fish Chowder which he would produce only once a year, but it was always worth waiting for (more laughter.) The food was always delicious. He was a wonderfully dedicated person in every sense, often to the extreme, and always focused on his splendid hospitality and service to the community.
I will miss him, as will many others.5
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