Gregory Bellar

Gregory Bellar went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the early hours of May 2nd, peacefully and in his sleep. Greg had mentioned just this past week that this was his preferred method of passing. He had also said that his bags were packed and he was very excited about seeing the face of Jesus. He knew, from the Scriptures, that the good thief crucified on the cross next to Jesus was assured that, ?this day you shall be with me in Paradise,? and Greg knew that this promise was meant from him too. Greg was born in La Junta, Colorado on July 15, 1952, to Hank Bellar and Violet Wickstrom Bellar. He grew up in many places, including Southern California, and Orlando, Florida. He spent elementary school and high school in Central Florida, but found traditional education boring and stifling to his wonderfully creative nature. He loved to travel and arrived in Costa Mesa, California, in 1977, where he met the love of his life, Tina, and her son Jason Gerard Hoover. They all relocated to Orlando, where they began a life together that resulted in a marriage lasting over thirty years. While awaiting the birth of his daughter, Nicole Suzanne, in 1980, Greg was hired by the City of Kissimmee, Parks and Recreation. He worked for many years for Bill Davis, who promoted Greg to foreman, and groomed him to replace him as Assistant Superintendant of Parks. Greg was quite happy for several years. Then things got dicey when Bill Davis retired and someone else was hired to be the Assistant Superintendant. Greg was ultimately demoted in 1995, and yet found himself selected as the Kissimmee City Employee of the Year for 1995. He continued to go to work each day, work dutifully, and bide his time until he could retire. His family life was important to him and he enjoyed their company and learned to lean on his Savior more and more. He suffered the pain of fibromyalgia for several years, and complications from a bout with sciatica resulted in a perforated ulcer and near death from sepsis in 2007. When he exited the hospitals in May, 2007, Greg had a renewed love of life and family, and decided to take early retirement. He had grown to love many of his coworkers, including Donald Garmony, David Oramas, and his foreman, Andre Koch. He knew he would miss them but he also knew it was time to go. His wife, Tina, loved and appreciated him more in retirement than ever, as he did her. They couldn?t wait to be retired together. They thoroughly enjoyed each other?s humor and company. In the most recent years, months and days, Greg grew closer and closer to Niki,29, and Jason, 38, as well as his grandchildren, Lena, 12, Jacob, 10, Jazzie, 6 and Julz, 3. His love for His Savior, and a longing to see His face, however, outweighed his love for the earth and its pleasures. He told all his loved ones of this yearning, including his brothers Dennis and Rex Bellar, his mom, Violet, and anyone else who would listen. The recent engagement of his baby girl, Nicole, to his good friend and ex-coworker Wayne Hadley, only gave him relief in the knowledge that Niki and the babies would be well taken care of. It is with great regret

Gregory Bellar

July 15, 1952 - May 2, 2010