Gary Francis Wannemacher, 75, of Downers Grove, Illinois, passed away peacefully on May 9th, 2026.
Gary was born August 14th, 1950, in Lima, Ohio to Jeanette and Herbert Wannemacher. He grew up and worked the family farm in Cloverdale, OH along with his parents and 6 siblings. He eventually went on to work for I&D, (later Nth Degree) for 38 years, which set up trades hows across the country. He helped build the foundation and forge the culture of this national event labor company, and he led the way to unprecedented service standards not only in Chicago where he was the Midwest Regional Manager, but across every Nth Degree touchpoint and every city worldwide where we operate. Gary was an influencer and a change-maker, but only when the change brings value to clients and benefits the team he has built.
Gary was strategically placed in some of the most contentious union cities with the belief he could mitigate the situation and make it a viable place for Nth Degree to service their clients. Some of these cities were Boston, Miami, Las Vegas, and Chicago. His presence and ability to effectively work with the unions secured the presence that Nth Degree currently has in each of these cities today.
He was a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees – because they were the only team on television when he was a kid – as well as an enthusiastic but critical fan of all the Chicago sports teams. He was an avid golfer and passionate about music, especially Frank Zappa and The Allman Brothers. In the early 70s, he looked so much like Frank Zappa, that while attending an Allman Brothers concert, they invited him on stage to wave to the crowd. He loved most spending time with his friends and family, and coached his son, Gary, in basketball and baseball for many years.
He is survived by his wife, Kerry, and his son, Gary Wannemacher (Leanne). Gary leaves behind three sisters: Edith Wannemacher, Anne (Larry) Carter, and Ellen (Dave) Schroeder, as well as three sisters-in-law, Saundra Wannemacher, Judy Wannemacher, and Katrina Wannemacher, and a brother-in-law, Jason Pickerman.
