Gary Friedrich obit

Gary Eugene Friedrich

August 21, 1943 – August 29, 2018

 

He was not on the list.

It is with great sadness that the family of Gary E. Friedrich announces his passing after an extended illness on August 29, 2018, at the age of 75 years.

 Gary was born August 21, 1943, in Jackson, Missouri, to the late Gerald and Elsie

Lucille Rawls Friedrich. He was predeceased by his parents and infant brother, Nickie Ray Friedrich.

Gary was raised in Jackson, Missouri, where he graduated from Jackson High School in 1961. He was editor of the high school newspaper and a member of the marching band. Gary, known by his friends as "Groovy Gary", was an American comic book writer. He began his career in New York City, where he and long time friend, Roy Thomas, were writers and editors for Marvel Comics during the 60's and 70's. Gary was a member of the legendary Marvel Bullpen of the sixties.

 While in New York, Gary also wrote for Skywald, Atlas/Seaboard and Charlton

 Comics.

Gary had a major part in the creation of the Marvel motorcycle-riding character, Ghost Rider. That character was featured in two movies starring Nicholas Cage and then on a season of the ABC show "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "

He returned to reside in the St. Louis, Missouri area, where he continued freelance writing. In 2010, he received the Bill Finger Award at Comic-Con

International for Achievement in Comic Book Writing.

Gary will be remembered by many recovered alcoholics for his tireless work and devotion as their Alcoholic Anonymous ( AA) sponsor. He never hesitated discussing his many years battling alcoholism and attributed his sobriety to faith and AA. Following the death of an AA member, he often commented that he/she had passed on to that Big AA Meeting in the Sky.

Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Jean (nee Bohnert) of Imperial, Missouri, son, Sean, and daughters, Jennifer Allie and Leslie (Chris) Moriarty , grandchildren, Ava and Sutton and sisters, Toni Cay Schweain, Allie Rebecca

Brandon and his brother, Bill and wife Joy.

A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of Hoffmeister Mortuary in St. Louis, Missouri.

He was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos and in the following era, the series The Monster of Frankenstein, as well as for cocreating the supernatural motorcyclist Ghost Rider and the supernatural hero the Son of Satan.

Friedrich – no relation to fellow comics writer Mike Friedrich – was the first successful new writer brought into the burgeoning 1960s Marvel after fellow Missourian Roy Thomas. Succeeding Thomas on Sgt. Fury, Friedrich and the art team of Dick Ayers and John Severin produced a World War II series for the Vietnam years, combining militaristic camaraderie and gung ho humor with a regretful sense of war as a terrible last resort. The humanistic military drama was noted for its semi-anthological "The" stories, such as "The Medic" and "The Deserter".

Friedrich went on to write a smattering of superhero stories for Marvel, Atlas/Seaboard Comics and Topps Comics, and eventually left the comics industry. In 2011, he lost a federal lawsuit over a claim of ownership in the character Ghost Rider, but in July 2014, three months after an appellate court reversed that decision, the parties said they had reached a settlement.