Gary Lynn Huskey, 84, of Lutz, Fla., formerly of De Soto, died Sept. 22, 2026. Mr. Huskey moved with his family to De Soto, attending public schools there and graduating from De Soto High School in 1960. He then graduated from Missouri State College in Cape Girardeau. He was known for loving life and having a positive outlook. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and took many trips together, including in North America, Central America, South America, Hawaii and Europe. He also loved cheering for his favorite sports teams, especially the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Gators. He was a lifetime educator, first as a teacher and then as an administrator at Hillsborough County Schools in Tampa, Fla. He earned his PhD in educational administration from Nova University in 1990. He served as dean and then assistant principal at Thomas Jefferson High School, then as principal at James Buchanan Seventh Grade Center and principal at Martin Van Buren Junior High School. He had a reputation for being the “remodeling” principal and was frequently placed wherever improvements were needed. He retired from his position as principal at Chamberlain High School in 1998. He also served on the Board of the Suncoast Credit Union for many years and had great friends and good memories of his time there. Born Feb. 7, 1942, in St. Louis, he was the son of the late Ancil Huskey and Mildred Lobsinger. He was the stepson of the late Verne Lobsinger.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years: Rosemary Diettrich Huskey.
He is survived by a son: Michael Clayton Huskey; a sister: Diane Huskey Bright; a niece: Courtney Bright; a stepdaughter: Elizabeth (Carl) Bero; and five grandchildren: Cooper Huskey, Emily Huskey, Carolyn Bero, Christopher Bero and Katherine Bero.
A celebration of life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, at Mr. Huskey’s home in Lutz, Fla. Memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay at hstb.org/.