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Trenton paper posts message from DeVercelly family

“Gary was awarded ‘World’s Best Big Brother’ by his parents for the gentle and loving manner he had with his younger brother and sister. Gary was such a natural at this role, he took it into his other relationships in his life. It seemed that everywhere he went, Gary touched people and impacted them in a positive way. He was a man you could depend on who had an easygoing manner.

“He knew what he wanted to do and who he wanted to be very early in life. He always had a goal and a plan to achieve it. But the people in his life were his first priority. His family, friends, and teammates all knew they could count on Gary, no matter what. He was not great at everything he did in life, just great at the important things.

“Our family finds great comfort in knowing that Gary is in heaven but we are struggling with the loss in our lives. It seems a shame that something this tragic had to happen before we realized the superior character of our friends, family, neighbors, and even acquaintances. We are surrounded by love and draw strength from the support given to us. We thank God for honoring us with Gary’s presence in our lives and we hope that with His help, we will learn to find a way to live with Gary’s absence.”message from

By Hank Nuwer

Journalist Hank Nuwer tracks hazing deaths in fraternities and schools. Nuwer is the Alaska author of Hazing: Destroying Young Lives; Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing, Wrongs of Passage and The Hazing Reader. In April of 2024, the Alaska Press Club awarded him first place in the Best Columnist division and Best Humorist, second place.

He has written articles or columns on hazing for the Sunday Times of India, Toronto Globe & Mail, Harper's Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His current book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Warsaw, Poland and Fairbanks, Alaska. Nuwer is a former columnist for the Greenville (Ohio)Early Bird and former managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska.
Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his “After Darke” column in the Early Bird. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. “The move is a sort-of coming home for us,” said Nuwer. As a journalist, he’s written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. Read his musings in his blog at Real Alaska Daily--http://realalaskadaily.com and in his weekly column "Far from Randolph" in the Winchester Star-Gazette of Randolph County, Indiana.

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