Col. Gary Roe Wallace, Ret. Us Army

Gary Roe Wallace

October 31, 1954 - November 14, 2024

Colonel (Retired) Gary Roe Wallace, 70, of Hawkins, Texas, passed away peacefully at home on November 14, 2024, after a long battle with cancer.

Gary was born in Mercedes, Texas on October 31, 1954, to Russell Wallace and Beadie (Hand) Wallace, and moved to Bluff Dale where he spent his childhood on his family ranch. Gary attended school in Stephenville before studying at Tarleton State University where he was a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Infantry in 1977.

A proud veteran, Colonel Wallace served thirty years in the Army and held various command and leadership positions, including: Leader of Rifle, Weapons, and Heavy Mortar Platoons, 2d Battalion, 34th Infantry Division, Ft. Stewart, Georgia; Commander, Technical Escort Detachment, Technical Escort Unit, Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; Combat Aviation Brigade Chemical Officer, Division Chemical Officer, and Commander, 68th Chemical Company, 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas; Chemical Logistics Officer, 200th Theater Army Materiel Management Center, Kreuzberg Kaserne, Germany; Deputy Commander/Operations Officer, Pine Bluff Arsenal, Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Commander, Newport Army Ammunition Plant, Newport, Indiana; Division Chemical Officer, 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Riley, Kansas; Director, Chemical Warfighter Operations, U.S. Army Chemical School, Ft. McClellan, Alabama; Chief, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Domestic Preparedness Branch, Office of the Director of Military Support, Headquarters Department of the Army, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans; and Commander, Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Kingsport, Tennessee. Colonel Wallace’s final station was at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri where he served as Assistant Commandant for the U.S. Army Chemical School until his retirement in December of 2007. He was then recalled to duty as the Chief of Staff for the Maneuver Support Command Center.

Following his retirement, Gary and his wife, Belinda, settled in Hawkins, Texas, where he was a rancher for over a decade, a lifelong passion of his. He often commented that he was blessed to be able to fulfill the two desires God had put in his heart - to serve his country and ranching.

Gary is preceded in death by his parents, Russell and Beadie, as well as his brother, Farrell Joe Wallace of Bluff Dale. He is survived by his wife, Belinda Wallace of Hawkins, daughter Sarah Meyers (Tim) of Liberty Hill; daughter Jill Pfeiffer (Mark) of Liberty Hill; stepson Jordan Golden of Pine Bluff, Arkansas; sister, Elaine Hyles (Charles) of Georgetown, Texas; grandchildren Ella Meyers and Emory Pfeiffer; sister-in-law Treva Wallace of Bluff Dale, Tx.; and several nieces and nephews.

A graveside service with full military honors will be held on Monday, December 2, 2024, at 2:00 pm at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org) or Samaritan’s Purse (samaritanspurse.org).