Paradise, Gary James age 75, of Eden Prairie, passed away peacefully on July 30th surrounded by his family and close friends. Gary was born in Minneapolis and spent his entire life living in the greater Twin Cities metro area. He fought a tough battle with cancer during the past 18 months. He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Maria, who was his best friend and soul mate, 5 children (Marty, Renee, Steve, Aaron, and Niki) their spouses (Bridgett, Greg, Michelle, Becky and Sean); his brother, Jim and 13 grandchildren (Jeffrey, Shannon, Bradley, Melissa, Allison, Jennifer, Blake, Chase, Dylan, Wyatt, Rachel, Lauren and Brooke). He was preceded in death by sister, Marianne and brother, Jack. He had a great group of very close friends, including members of his Men's Group that has met together weekly for over 30 years. He had an accomplished business career, working for several high-tech companies in sales and marketing leadership positions. He was also an active volunteer, lending his time and talents to those less fortunate. He enjoyed woodworking and was often fondly referred to as a "putz" by his family and friends while working on his many projects. He was an avid traveler who enjoyed life to the fullest. Gary will be greatly missed by his family and wonderful friends. Funeral services will be at St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church, 3450 Irving Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 on Monday August 4th. Visitation from 9:00am-11:00am, service at 11:00am and lunch after the service. Interment at Lakewood Cemetery. Memorials can be directed in Gary's name to: Metro Minnesota Community Clinical Oncology Program, (CCOP) 3800 Park Nicollet Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN 55416.