If you ever walked into Carey’s house during the holidays, you knew two things: the house would be decked out with endless decorations, and a new tree was decorated somewhere among the other trees he had collected over the years. On June 5, 2026, the world lost a legendary Christmas enthusiast full of holiday magic.

Carey was born to Alice Kay and Marvin Gerritsen on August 8, 1958. He spent his childhood in Ogden Utah, where he attended Ben Lomond High School and met his forever love, Beckie “buckwheat,” White Gerritsen. After high school, Carey started building houses until he started his career with Kellerstrass Oil Company where he worked for 33 years.

If you needed to find Carey, he was at a car show, doing a word search, or watching his grandkids’ game or dance recital. Carey made many lifelong friends throughout his life, including his closest friend and partner in crime, Greg, and Josie would document every adventure. He loved sharing his love for cars and attended many car shows and antique shops, where he would find most of his Christmas decorations. And it didn’t matter if the 6-foot snowman or Santa appeared in the middle of summer, it was going to be displayed for everyone to enjoy. Carey also loved his 49ers and would display many football blowups in his yard throughout the season to cheer them on.

Carey was a proud father of his four children: Melissa (Brock), Justin (Sheliece), Nik (Michelle) and Alex (Cody). He adored his 11 grandchildren (Garett, Dallas, Annie, Ryka, Kenna, Haidyn, Nelle, Hudson, Casshlynn, Hunter and Easton) and they loved their papa. They always knew he had pink peppermints, ready to be shared. His two fur babies, Elle and Sadie, will miss him greatly.

Carey leaves a legacy and will be deeply missed, happily remembered, and forever loved by all those that knew him. A celebration of life will be held in his honor on Friday, June 19th from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Leavitt’s Mortuary, 836 36th Street, Ogden, Utah 84403. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Carey’s medical expenses using the QR code below.

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)