On Feb. 2, 2021, Gary Fleetwood, loving husband and father of two, passed away at the age of 69. Anyone who knew Gary knew that he'd never met a stranger. A jolly, larger-than-life guy who could get along with anyone, someone who loved and was loved by children and animals, Gary was a light in the life of everyone he came across, and that light leaves a noticeable void in his wake. Gary was born and grew up in Benton Harbor, and graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1969. After high school, Gary met and married the love of his life, Charlotte (Fairbanks) Fleetwood. He proceeded to serve the community as the owner of the old Action Ambulance of Benton Harbor, one of the local private ambulance services in Berrien County – before Medic 1 was established in the late 1970s. Gary is probably best remembered locally as "Fleet," the owner of the Orchard's Lounge of Benton Township. In the early 1980s, Gary purchased Orchard's Lounge from Bob Ellis, then later bought the building within which Orchard's Lounge was located, at 1689 Reader St. Gary owned Orchard's for almost three decades. In that time, a family formed within the walls of the Orchard's Lounge made up of coworkers, regulars, and Gary's own wife and kids. Orchard's was the site of various annual parties for Christmas, New Year's, and of course the Super Bowl. Especially epic were the parties for the Super Bowls in which the Chicago Bears were playing. Anyone who knew Gary knew that he was a lifelong super-fan of "Da Bears" and Mike Ditka. Whenever there was a holiday party or graduation party at Gary's home in St. Joe, many members of the "Orchard's Gang" could be found gathered around the pool, laughing and having fun with the rest of the Fleetwood Family. Those were truly the best days of Gary's life. He frequently acknowledged that truth in the years since, in the telling and retelling of stories from "the good ol' days." When Orchard's closed its doors in 2006, a big part of Gary's heart was forever left behind. In 1991, together with his wife, Charlotte, Gary opened Mattresses Plus, a successful small business which served the community and supported their family for 15 years until it was time to close the doors on both Mattresses Plus and Orchard's Lounge in 2006. After retiring in 2006, Gary and Char moved to Florida to enjoy the sunshine until moving to Kentucky to be closer to their grandchildren in 2015. Gary lived out the rest of his days doing exactly what he wanted, which was spending time with family and grandkids. Gary was surrounded by family at Westminster Terrace Nursing Home when his spirit left his body on Feb. 2, 2021, after a long illness. Gary was cremated at the Southern Cremation Society in the following days. Gary is survived by his wife, Charlotte; son, Paul, and his wife, Deborah; daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Christopher, and grandchildren: Gavin, Jackson and Sophie; his brother, Mark, and his wife, Melissa, and their children: Meghan, Myles and Mason; his sister, Paula, and her daughter, Christina; his stepbrother, Mark and his wife, Elaine, and Mark's, daughter Brooke; along with various other nieces, nephews, family and friends. Gary was preceded in death by his father, Paul Lofton Fleetwood; his mother, Rosa Mae (Reynolds) Elzey; his beloved nephew, Brandon Alan Anderson; beloved niece, Taylor Elzey; and various other close family and friends who we hope were gathered to welcome Gary's spirit home.