Last month Brian's brother-in-law (of 40 years! Brian was just a toddler at their wedding....) passed away to a fight against cancer. We all adored Gary, his warm smile and incredible story telling abilities. I know when he arrived in heaven, God said "well done, well done." Gary lived the type of life that we should all attempt to achieve.
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Gary was in the Kentucky horse business for years and years. He was wildly respected and this article that was written the week of his death, highlights not only his success in the business, but the wonderful type of person he was too-
LONGTIME YEARLING MANAGER GARY PIMENTEL DIES
Gary Pimentel, longtime Thoroughbred yearling manager at Hermitage Farm, Three Chimneys Farm and Gainsborough Farm, died at his home near Knoxville, TN on September 3 at the age of 66 following a long illness.
There will be a funeral service Thursday, September 10 at 7 PM at Woodlawn Christian Church in Knoxville and interment Saturday, September 12 at 11 AM at Bluegrass Memorial Gardens, Harrodsburg Road in Nicholasville, KY.
Hermitage Farm General Manager Bill Landes remembers, “My first job at Hermitage was to get this guy from Bermuda to Goshen and that was in the winter of 1977-78. We had to helicopter his wife Caron from Hermitage to Louisville because she went into labor that first winter during a horrendous snowstorm that left the roads impassible. “ Gary loved telling the story about how Caron made the national news with that feat.
Pimentel started at Hermitage as a foreman, became yearling manager and then assistant farm manager. “I think he left us for Three Chimneys in 1984 – therefore missing out on a sales bonus on the sale of the $13.1 Seattle Dancer in 1985,” recalls Landes.
Pimentel’s days at Hermitage left him with a strong love of University of Louisville sports, for which he received unceasing grief from his University of Kentucky-supporting Three Chimneys friends for the next 31 years. That pride (“he was so proud when UL won the basketball championship in 2013 that I sent him a T-shirt he called ‘Wearin my Colors’), his giggle and friendly personality all led me to becoming a big fan of his,” says Landes. “He got me to visit Bermuda twice and also supplied us with a few fellow Bermudians as longtime Hermitage employees.”
When Pimentel joined Three Chimneys, owner Robert Clay and farm manager Dan Rosenberg were just getting into the sales consignment business. By the time he left in 1999, Three Chimneys was perennially one of the top five consignors at Keeneland, regularly selling million dollar yearlings for clients like Mr. and Mrs. John Mabee, Harriet Jones, and Three Chimneys itself.
Robert Clay recalls, “Gary was a key member of the Three Chimneys team as yearling manager in our formative years. He was a true professional, whose loyalty, dedication, horsemanship, and good wit, made all of our lives richer for having known him.” He concluded, “We have lost a great friend. “
Dan Rosenberg remembers, “Gary was a consummate horseman, but even more importantly he was a teacher and mentor. The lessons came at the horse barn and the soccer field, and frequently delivered with a laugh, but were life lessons. Anyone who knew Gary will carry a bit of him through the rest of their life, and very likely pass along a bit of Gary to the lives they touch. Gary was that kind of person. “
Pimentel was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel for his years of volunteer coaching for the Woodford County High School soccer team in Versailles, KY. In his early years, Gary was a Young Life leader in Bermuda.
Former Three Chimneys Communications Director Margaret Layton remembers, “We had an employee retreat in 1998 and came up with company values. The first one was ‘Honesty Without Hesitation.’ With Gary Pimentel around, we had no choice about that because he always called it like he saw it! When we had Camp Three Chimneys, he was the reporters’ favorite ‘counselor’ with his candor, stories and quick wit.”
Gary left Three Chimneys to become the yearling manager for Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum’s Gainsborough Farm. In 2004, he returned to Bermuda to operate a landscaping business with his brother. He and wife Caron moved back to the U.S. after the death of his mother about eight years later.
He is survived by wife, Caron; two sons, Fred and McClain; a daughter, Patricia; and numerous other loving relatives. The family will receive friends from 6:00-7:00 pm on Thursday, September 10, 2015 at Woodlawn Christian Church, followed by the funeral service 7:00pm, with Pastor Charles Becket and Senior’s Pastor Dean Davis officiating. Interment will be at 11:00am on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at Bluegrass Memorial Gardens on Harrodsburg Road in Nicholasville, KY. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Young Life Knoxville Camp Scholarships.
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