Gary Ray Emery II, age 44, was born on September 14, 1981, in Crossville, Tennessee, to Carolyn Worley and the late Gary Emery. Gary Ray found his eternal peace on April 5, 2026. Gary Ray was a beloved friend, son, brother, and above all, father. Gary leaves behind his two proudest accomplishments in his lifetime, his two children. If you knew Gary, you knew how proud he was of his kids and how much he loved them. “Dad” cheered from the sidelines in wrestling tournaments and practices, tearfully smiled at the stage during pageants, proudly donned his “Proud Cheer Parent” t-shirt at cheer competitions, sat for countless hours in the pick-up line for practices and games, was the first to volunteer to work Book Fairs and concessions, and sat through every awards program at school where he said with pride, “The kids had a clean sweep.” You would have thought he won the lottery watching his daughter walk across the stage at graduation and he was even prouder to say his son graduated high school early. Gary, or Little E, was the kind of friend you only find once. He was a strong-willed man who loved hard, and if you were his friend, you knew that. Gary had a laugh that could fill an entire room, and that laugh came out when he told old stories about old friends. He would help anyone he could, regardless of what it was. Gary was given a nickname he wore with pride, Little Gary, after his father, Big Gary. He strived his entire life to be more like his daddy. To love like him, to work as hard as he did, and to be as strong as he was. The two were inseparable, and what a reunion they must be having. Gary was a skilled diesel mechanic, a genius with numbers, a cowboy at heart, and he loved talking about the houses his daddy built. Gary Ray is survived by his two children, Cheyenne and Jaden Emery, his loving mother, Carolyn Worley (Roy), his maternal grandmother Marie Brown, his siblings Leigh Ann Marsh (Eddie), Julie Ann Emery (Kevin), Jack Emery (Thom), Adam Gibson (Sarah), and Ryan Gibson (Alesha), as well as his nieces and nephews, Cody Marsh, Callye Gibson, Rylee Gibson, Corbin Gibson, Gabe Cook, and Greyson Cook. Gary is preceded in death by his father, Gary Emery; his maternal grandfather, Arnold Brown; his paternal grandparents, Jack and Jewell Emery; and his uncle, Charlie Brown. Gary Ray will be laid to rest Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Big Lick Cemetery. Visitation will be held at Hood Funeral Home and Crematory from 1 to 3 with the service to follow.