Dr. W.G. 'Garry' Quast
Dr. W.G. “Garry” Quast, 77, of Slippery Rock passed away suddenly Friday at the Grove City Medical Center, Pine Township, Mercer County, due to natural causes.
He was born on Feb. 15, 1937, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to the late Kenneth Eugene Quast and Mary Steele Quast.
He married Jacqueline Eleanor Jackobs on Jan. 3, 1959.
He graduated from Blackburn College in Carlinville, Ill., won a Sears Scholarship to Northwestern University and received a Master's and Ed.D. from Rutgers University.
He was a member of the Center Presbyterian Church in Slippery Rock.
Garry retired in 1999 as professor and chairman of the Elementary Education Department and was granted the status of professor emeritus at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
During his career, Garry was committed to the total education of the student as evidenced by his commitment to “Freshman Studies” as well as the evolution of math education in the classroom, in text (including the publication of several series of textbooks and professional articles) and in theory. He was at the forefront of developing the field experience program for teachers and served as a legislative delegate for the Association of Pennsylvania State College and Union Faculties.
He was a long-standing member of the University Curriculum Committee and Phi Delta Kappa, and he received awards of recognition from the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Math Council of Western Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Legislature. He was also a Danforth Fellow and a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education Teaching Fellow.
Far more than any recognition Garry received over his long and impactful career, he spoke with great pride of the caliber and commitment of the students he taught and served at Slippery Rock University. His continued association with former students and colleagues alike brought him great joy.
Survivors include his wife, Jacqueline, at home; his two daughters, Anne Rene Quast Efron and her husband, Dr. David Thomas Efron, of Towson, Md., and Mary Jacqueline Quast Lutz and her husband, Jonathan Daniel Lutz, of Alexandria, Va.; his son, James Marcus Quast of Slippery Rock; his sister, Lesley Ann Quast and her husband, Albert Keiser, of Greenville, S.C.; his three nieces; his two nephews; and his seven grandchildren, Jacqueline Lorraine, Angel Alexis, Amelia Anne, Blade Garfield, Jonathan “Jack” Alan, Layne Richard and Declan Michael.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, John Beaumont Quast, and a nephew.
Quast — A memorial service for Dr. W.G. “Garry” Quast, who passed away Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, will be celebrated at 11 a.m. May 16 at the Russell Wright Alumni House and Conference Center, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock.Memorial contributions to support a scholarship in Garry's name may be sent to the Slippery Rock University Foundation, Inc., 100 Old Main, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA 16057.
