{"id":51047,"date":"2026-11-10T06:01:47","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=51047"},"modified":"2026-11-10T06:01:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:01:47","slug":"gary-claybaugh-77-of-neoga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/obits\/51047-gary-claybaugh-77-of-neoga\/","title":{"rendered":"Gary Claybaugh (77) of Neoga"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>In Loving Memory of Gary Claybaugh July 15th 1949- November 8th 2026 Today, we remember and celebrate the life of Gary Claybaugh, a man who dedicated much of his life to serving others, serving his country, and taking pride in the work he did. Gary proudly served 20 years in the United States Navy, giving two decades of his life to defending the country he loved. After his military service, he continued his commitment to serving his country by dedicating another 20 years to civil service. Forty years of service is no small accomplishment. It speaks to the kind of man Gary was: hardworking, dependable, dedicated, and proud to do his part. But Gary\u2019s life was about so much more than his years of service and the work he did. He was a man who faced life\u2019s challenges, including years of living with a bad back that kept him from doing something he once loved\u2014running like the wind. For years, his body put limits on what his spirit still wanted to do. There were miles he couldn\u2019t run, roads he couldn\u2019t travel, and moments when pain reminded him of what he had lost. But there is something comforting to think about today. Gary can run again. No more aching back. No more pain. No more limitations. No more having to slow down when his heart wants to keep going. Somewhere beyond this life, we like to imagine Gary running like the wind, with nothing holding him back, just as he always should have been able to. His years of service will never be forgotten, and neither will the life he lived beyond his uniform. The greatest measure of a man isn\u2019t just how many years he served or how hard he worked, but the memories he leaves behind and the lives he touched along the way. Those who loved Gary will carry his memory forward, remembering his journey, honoring his sacrifices, and finding comfort in knowing that the struggles he carried in this life are finally behind him. Rest easy, Dad. You gave 20 years to the Navy, 20 years to civil service, and a lifetime of memories to those who knew and loved you. Fair winds and following seas, Gary. Your watch is over. And now, Dad, (Papa G) run like the wind. You don\u2019t have to stop anymore. Joyce, Bryan, Billy, Kim, Brittany,Tyler, Calah, lanasia, Jazmine, Jade, Eli, Tommy, Brian, Marla, Steve (Reno), Mark, Bruce (Chuck), Scott (Sporty), Shelly, Jill and Beth. We salute you. Get with your brothers who passed. Love from all of us!\u00a0 Memorial Visitation Friday, November 13, 2026 at 1pm at the Swengel-O\u2019Dell Funeral Home with military rites to follow at 2pm at the funeral home. The Swengel &#8211; O\u2019Dell Funeral Home of Neoga, Illinois are assisting the family with arrangements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Loving Memory of Gary Claybaugh July 15th 1949- November 8th 2026 Today, we remember and celebrate the life of Gary Claybaugh, a man who dedicated much of his life [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":51048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-obits"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gary Claybaugh (77) of Neoga - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/obits\/51047-gary-claybaugh-77-of-neoga\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gary Claybaugh (77) of Neoga - 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