Later in life, Gary was stricken with Alzheimer's disease. Yesterday morning, Gary died at his home in Kahala at the age of 83.

Services are pending.

"Jim Gary came to Hawai'i and was able to bring about change to a sleepy, laid-back economy," said former Gov. George Ariyoshi, who — as a director for Honolulu Gas Co. — helped recruit Gary from Seattle to run the company as its president.

"He took what was really a local gas company and changed the face of it to make us more involved in the international oil world. I also liked the fact that he came from the outside, but he immediately recognized that he needed to develop talent to win over the community here. He made it clear that he wanted to find talent here and develop talent here. That's one of his lasting accomplishments."

In addition to several Mainland and international companies, Gary served as a director, trustee, president or chairman of several Hawai'i organizations, including the Aloha United Way (president and chairman of the board); Better Business Bureau; Boy Scouts of America Aloha Council (president); Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i (chairman); East-West Center International Foundation Board; Chaminade University Board of Regents; Hawaii Employers Council (chairman); Hawaii Community Foundation (chairman and president); Hawaii Community Reinvestment Corp.; Honolulu Symphony Society; Hawaii Loa College board of trustees; Kamehameha Schools advisory committee; St. Andrew's Priory School board of trustees; and Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i (chairman).

Gary also was a director of Dole Food Co. Inc.

"Jim Gary was both a visionary business executive and an outstanding community leader who played a vital role in Hawai'i's transformation from a quiet, moonlit tourist destination to a bustling, international business center," said U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i.

"Through his tireless hard work, he ended Hawai'i's dependence on imported petroleum by establishing a refinery in the Islands that became a key supplier for the Department of Defense in the Pacific. As a member of the University of Hawai'i's Board of Regents, he was a strong advocate for higher education and high technology. Jim also contributed his unique skills and experiences to numerous community organizations. ...

"Hawai'i was most fortunate to have Jim Gary guide it during an important period in its history."

James Frederick Gary was born in Chicago on Dec. 28, 1920, the son of an Army officer who later worked as a professional executive for the Boy Scouts. Gary considered careers in medicine and engineering at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and graduated in 1942 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

But after graduation, Gary went to work for DuPont to help the company open a munitions plant in Oklahoma during World War II. After a few months, Gary resigned to enlist in the Army in 1942.

He underwent parachute training in Georgia, became an instructor and then shipped out as a replacement with the 11th Airborne Division in the Philippines to prepare for a U.S. invasion of Japan. The subsequent American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki meant Gary touched Japanese soil only as part of the U.S. occupation force.

After the war, Capt. Gary found himself stuck in Fort Lewis, Wash., for a weekend, waiting for paperwork to clear. During his wait, Gary called up longtime family friends from Pennsylvania who had since moved to Seattle.

"I'd known him since I was 8 years old," the former Helen Gellert said. "He was always nice to me. But he liked my older sister better. He paid more attention to her because he was closer to her age."

Although Gary had known Helen since childhood, the dynamic of their relationship changed during that weekend in Seattle.

"I was just home from college and he got out of the car and he looked at me and I looked at him," she said. "My mother said, 'Aren't you going to shake hands?' But I just fell in love with him. I've known him all of my life and you don't fall in love with somebody you've known all of your life. But I did."

They stayed in Seattle as Gary started his business career with the Seattle Gas Co. Then in 1967, on April Fool's Day, they moved to Honolulu so Gary could take over Honolulu Gas Co.

Building a second refinery on O'ahu meant getting approvals, capital and sources of crude oil that sent Gary all over the Mainland, particularly New York and Washington, D.C.

As Gary expanded Honolulu Gas Co. into Pacific Resources Inc. and its 22 subsidiaries, the company grew from an $8-million-a-year enterprise to $1.7 billion, making it No. 225 on the Fortune 500 list.

The constant travel took a toll on Gary's time with his wife and their four children. At one point, Gary spent one week out of every three away from home, Gary once said in an interview.

"He traveled to Indonesia, Malaysia, worked with Shell Oil Co. in England and the French oil company," said his wife, Helen. "He's been to Saudi Arabia, you name it."

The constant travel, Ariyoshi said, is "a sacrifice that most business people have to make. But he wasn't estranged and it didn't affect his family. He was a good family person."

The Garys' oldest son, David, died three years ago in a car accident in Dallas, Texas. Gary is survived by his wife of 57 years, Helen; twins sons, John "Bill" William and James Scott; daughter, Mary Anne Vient; and seven grandchildren.