GARY ROBERT McCOY (1942-2026)
Gary Robert McCoy passed away on April 8, 2026, at Northern Inyo Hospital, after a short battle with cancer at the age of 83.
He was born on July 2, 1942, the eldest of 6 children to Roma and Dave McCoy, founders of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.
Gary, like his mother Roma, spent his entire life in the Bishop area.
Bishop and Mammoth were the perfect playgrounds for everything Gary loved: hunting with his brothers, fishing, riding horses, playing baseball on the high school team, water skiing with his children, snow skiing for fun and competitively in the Junior National and Western States Championship, and racing snowmobiles.
Gary worked at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in various roles from trail and lift construction and retired as the CEO. During his tenure, he also served as President of the National Ski Area Association.
His passion for flying led him to pilot for Sierra Pacific Airlines and become the General Manager.
Gary truly cherished his retirement by spending time with Barbi on their houseboat at Lake Powell, traveling the United States in their motorhome, assisting local outfitters with packing in the Mammoth and Bishop areas, and even starting his own trucking company, ‘Happy Trails,’ where he and his dog would transport hay from local farms to friends and clients.
He thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the crew of Bobby Tanner’s Twenty Mule Team for multiple appearances, two of which were the Rose Parade.
He loved visiting his brother’s Montana ranch each year to move cattle to summer pastures, where he could really work up a sweat with two horses a day.
Barbi introduced him to golf, and they spent their winters at their Palm Desert home, where he was known to occasionally ‘best her score.’ Plus, he made sure to dedicate some time to serve on the Mammoth Foundation Board.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 44 years, Barbi, and his 4 children: Dave McCoy (Tracy), Ronnie McCoy (Karen), Casey McCoy (Becky), and Allison Rowland (David), from a previous marriage; 5 siblings: Dennis ‘Poncho’ McCoy (Beverly), Carl McCoy, Penny McCoy, Kandi Stewart (Rusty), Randy McCoy (Molly), 11 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.
His Celebration of Life will be at Convict Lake Resort on May 21 from 1-4 p.m. Please join us to share your stories.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mammoth Hospital Foundation at P.O. Box 100, PMB 487, Mammoth Lakes, California 93546. Fed. Tax ID 20-2601653
