Gary Lee Thistlethwaite

Gary Lee Thistlethwaite of Ligonier passed away on December 4th, 2025 at the age of 79.

Gary was born in Jefferson, PA on October 11th, 1946 to Richard and Betty Thistlethwaite. After graduating Jefferson Morgan High School in 1964, Gary joined the Navy and served on a destroyer, the USS HW Tucker, off the coast of Vietnam. During his time in the Navy, he was able to travel the world and lived briefly in southern California, before moving back to western PA.

After returning from Vietnam, Gary was accepted into the PA State Police academy, graduating in January 1969 to join his older brother Rick as a Trooper. His first major assignment was five years in a deep undercover unit, where he grew out his hair and infiltrated criminal groups across the State. Later he worked as a Trooper based in Troop A, Greensburg.

Gary had dozens of incredible stories from his time as a Trooper. While many may not be fit for print, he shared one anecdote when Arnold Palmer passed a few years ago to illustrate what a good, down-to-earth guy Mr. Palmer always was. Gary would occasionally get called to the Palmer house in Latrobe for false burglar alarms while on midnight shift. Once Troopers arrived and confirmed that everything was fine, Arnold and his then wife Winnie would make them a fresh pot of coffee and insist that they have a cup for their troubles, even at 2am.

It was through Gary's brother Rick and his wife Annette that Gary met the love of his life, JoAnn. They were married in April 1971 and made their way to the Ligonier Valley, where they've lived since then. Gary was devoted to JoAnn until the very end, waiting until she was by his side before taking his last breath.

Gary quit the dangers of deep undercover life when he and JoAnn had kids. Their first son Patrick was born in 1975 and Chris followed in 1980. Gary was an amazing Dad. He was always kind and would drop everything to be with his kids. He loved the outdoors and passed that along. He also loved the Steelers and had season tickets for a time. We'll always remember those Sunday morning drives to Three Rivers Stadium and our end zone seats four rows from the top.

In 1995 Gary retired from the State Police. Over the next three decades, he'd spend time in politics and public service, serving in multiple Ligonier Township Supervisor and Planning Commission roles over the years. He cherished the Ligonier Valley and always volunteered to do the work that it takes to make it a great place.

In 1997 Gary was nominated by Republican Governor Tom Ridge to be Westmoreland County Sheriff. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to take office. At that time Westmoreland was a majority Democratic County, and the Democratic majority PA Senate chose not to confirm Gary as a Republican candidate.

Aside of public service, Gary's retirement was filled with many other endeavors to stay busy. Gary was a distance runner and enjoyed long runs on Four Mile Run Road (even until the very end, much to the frustration of his caregivers!). In one of Gary's last jobs, he worked security for Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Gary enjoyed helping the students and the monks and was always proud to share the beauty of Saint Vincent with his family.

In his later years, Gary became known as Grampy to Chloe, Emily, Parker and Quinn. Grampy loved his girls with all his heart and was proud of every achievement, large and small. Like he did with his kids, he dreamed big with his grandkids, always encouraging them and talking about what amazing things they would do in their lives.

Dad, we miss you so much. We'll always watch out for the icy spots, even in the summer. And when we're done with our own long run, we know you'll be on the porch waiting for us with a smile, saying, "Hey Kid, I got you a glass of water."

Gary Thistlethwaite is survived by his wife JoAnn, sons Patrick and Chris, their wives Amy and Tara, and grandchildren Chloe and Emily, and Parker and Quinn. He is also survived by his brothers Rick and Doug, and his sister Carol.

The family would like to thank all the many caregivers, neighbors, first responders and members of the public who treated Gary with patience and grace in the last year or so. It has been truly incredible to see and experience how this community takes care of its most vulnerable. You are all friends.

A celebration of Gary's life will be held in the Summer of 2026 at the family farm,Thistlethwaite Vinyards in Jefferson, PA. Details will be shared in due time.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gary's name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or Rock Steady Boxing Pittsburgh.