Dozens of car owners show up at Rocky’s Pizza to honor area businessman
BATTLE GROUND — There were so many classic cars.
Beautiful cars.
Oh, a bunch of trucks, too.
There were plenty of modern-day, regular cars, too, many with signs.
And there were some cars that only the owners could love.
But all the drivers, all their passengers, came to Battle Ground on Friday night with one thing in mind: To celebrate the life of Gary Livingston.
Livingston, who owned Patriot Sealcoat and was a fixture at many businesses and charitable organizations, died unexpectedly Aug. 8.
One of the many places he helped out through the years was Rocky’s Pizza in Battle Ground. Gary’s son, Chance, thought a cruise-in for Gary, starting at Rocky’s was appropriate. Dozens and dozens of vehicles later, he was proved correct in his assessment.
This city, this region, loved Gary.
Longtime manager of Rocky’s Pizza, Fred Lane, got emotional when talking about Friday’s cruise-in.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Lane said. “He was really big into car rallies. He would have thought a lot about this. He would have been really happy.”
Livingston was instrumental in the cruises for Harvest Days.
But it was his charitable heart that made him so much more than just a “car guy” or a business owner.
“Gary cared about a lot of people, did a lot for a lot of people,” Lane said. “He did a lot for the community. The city always said, if you wanted something done, you went to Gary.”
Andy Machin of Battle Ground was friends with Livingston for years.
“We’d always come in here, sit and have a beer together. A good guy,” Machin said.
They would do a lot of trading. Machin said Livingston remade his driveway once but instead of a monetary transaction, Machin gave Livingston his Seattle Seahawks tickets.
On Friday night, there were more and more Gary stories being shared, in between the revving of engines and smoking tires.
All to celebrate Gary Livingston.
