GC Schow, 78, of Myrtle Beach, SC transitioned from this earthly existence on November 8, 2022. His passing was peaceful and filled with ritual as his wife, Kathy, and dog, Pepper, sat by his bedside.

GC’s birth name was Larry Dee—he was born on July 23, 1944, to Randal Dee and Marcelle Estelle (Fronk Schow) Morris in Ogden, Utah. His parents moved him and his brother to Los Angeles until their divorce when his mother moved them back to Ogden to live with her parents. As his mother was now single, GC was raised by his grandmother, Mae. He had a very strong and loving bond with her. It was in her honor that he legally changed his name to GC after a nickname she had given him, “Mr. Do You See”.

After graduating from Ogden High School, he married and moved to Los Angeles with his then-wife, JoAnn. With a young family, he worked and studied illustration at the Arts Center of Los Angeles, where he received his first Bachelor of Arts. He later moved to Utah and then Spokane, WA for work. He worked for Jetway Equipment/Spokane International Airport and eventually, Hewlett-Packard as an art director. While at HP, he earned another Bachelor of Arts in business management from Whitworth College. He had a thirst for knowledge when it came to creativity—shortly after meeting his wife, Kathy, and moving to Virginia, he went on to get a Webmaster Certificate from Northern Virginia Community College. His passion for creating art on the computer led him to join the Digital Arts Academy to learn how to paint using the program, Corel Painter. He was quite proud when Corel asked him to be a beta tester for that program in 2016.

His talent as an artist was put to good use when living in Los Angeles. He loved sharing his work and one part of his career path was working as a “tweener” for Disney on the animated cartoon movie, Cinderella. His professional career over the years was as a graphic designer and illustrator. When he met his wife Kathy, he was still living in Spokane, WA, and working for Hewlett-Packard. Shortly after moving to Virginia, GC found a job as a graphic designer and worked on several government contracts. Both GC and Kathy longed to start a graphic design firm and decided to start their business ImageWerks in 1999. They started out designing logos, websites, and other print materials. And eventually turned the business into a photography & fine art studio. When the program Corel Painter came out, he found his passion for painting again. Together, they were a very successful creative team – winning numerous awards for both their business and work. They also had a passion for giving back to their community. GC was involved with BNI, the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and served on the Board of Directors for his local Rotary International chapter.

GC met his soulmate/twin flame, Kathy Strauss in 1997 at a CorelWorld conference in San Diego, CA. At the time, he was living and working in Spokane, WA and Kathy was living in Alexandria, VA/working in Washington, DC. Their worlds were three thousand miles apart—but it was almost love at first site. He will tell anyone who asked him how the two of them met. He would say, “she picked me up on the San Diego freeway when she saw me wearing short shorts and cowboy boots and she liked the package." The truth is they met at the conference hotel bar and when he smiled at her, she liked what she saw... chipped tooth and all! GC will then add that he fell madly in love while listening to Kathy playing the piano in the hotel lobby. They knew they were to be married by the end of the five-day conference. It was six months after they met, he said he couldn’t ask her to move west with her young daughter, Stephanie. So, she and Steph flew out to meet him and the three of them drove cross-country back to Virginia.

GC married his love, Kathy on June 5, 1999. They used the marriage vows from the book, “Conversations with God.” Poetry and prose were recited during the ceremony, and per “their tradition” it was a potluck reception that flowed with creativity, music, and dance. They celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary this past June. It was also one of his running “lines” that he would share with anyone who asked, “How long have you two been married?” With a glint in his eye, a smile and dimples showing, he would say, “oh, ‘x-amount’ —but it feels like forever!”

GC was an uber-talented artist—or as Kathy would tell people, “GC is beyond talented!” He would spend hours creating work that he couldn’t wait to share with anyone who would listen to him talk about his art. He loved taking Kathy’s photos and turning them into his colorful paintings, both for commissioned work and his own personal pleasure. For many years, the two of them worked the Mid-Atlantic art festivals where both exhibited and sold their work. He was extremely proud when he had the chance to exhibit his work in local art galleries. His pride was the special exhibition called “Remerging Technologies” that he did with his wife and the late photographer/artist Donald E. Hurlbert. His fine art has been exhibited at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA, and more recently at the Seacoast Artists Gallery and the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum. His art can also be found on their ImageWerks website (www.imagewerks.net) and their Fine Art America online gallery (https://1-kathy-strauss.pixel…).

Besides his business and art, GC had a deep love of history—including getting Kathy and him into Civil War reenacting. He did that for 10+ years until his arthritis started to bother him. He “worked both sides” of the fence, portraying a soldier on both the US and Confederate sides. His last hurrah in the hobby was making sure that Kathy “didn’t get killed” as she portrayed a Civil War photographer for the 150th Commemoration of the First Battle of Manassas. He loved sharing the story of watching Kathy turn tail and run as she saw the line of Confederate soldiers coming straight at her—all the while as he laughed saying, “they will go around you!”

He loved to camp and convinced Kathy to really enjoy the outdoors and a nice campfire. He also dearly loved going on cruises. He traveled throughout the US, around the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. He so wanted to travel the world, but never had the chance. GC would frequently share that he wanted to live in Costa Rica—but Kathy convinced him that it wasn’t a good idea with his health. But most of all, he loved the beach. He and Kathy visited Myrtle Beach, SC numerous times while camping and it was an instant “hit” for him. He knew immediately that he wanted to move there. After eight years of nagging her to leave Virginia and he finally convinced her to move to Myrtle Beach, SC. They finally did in 2018.

Besides his uber-creativity, GC was super smart, loved being “waited on”, and could strike up a conversation with a stranger telling stories and recanting history as he knew it. He was also super funny, telling jokes that either made people laugh or let out a loud groan. People always knew how to take his wit as he could never keep a straight face. He would tell his jokes with a glint in his eyes, a smirk on his face, and show those deep dimples. Joke after joke, comments galore—Kathy would apologize to whomever he talked to, “I’m so sorry, GC has a case of early smartass.”

Anyone that knew GC, knew he loved a good party. He and Kathy entertained their friends—opening their home to many. They were known for their New Year’s Day potlucks. That party was a tradition amongst their friends and a favorite time of year as it was a way for him to properly ring in the new year. GC also loved to collect art. Even though he and Kathy were artists themselves, GC enjoyed going to art shows and art auctions. He would proudly share his collection with all who visited his home.

By the time he moved to Myrtle Beach, GC’s health issues started to show up more and more. He took all of them in stride as Kathy helped him navigate the medical system. Up until the end, she learned his every ailment and worked with his doctors to make sure he recovered stronger or was made comfortable. He was super proud and fiercely independent until the end. He hated having Kathy caretaking for him and he would express his feelings freely about it to her. Kathy’s one regret is that GC never saw the master bathroom remodel she started for him completed. Turning their unsafe non-ADA compliant bath into a fully handicapped accessible space.

GC was predeceased by his father, Randal Dee Schow, mother; Marcelle Estelle Fronk Morris (Schow); stepfather, Marion Wayne Morris; and daughter, Jodi Schow. He is survived by his wife Kathy Strauss; sons, Randall (Todd) Schow (married to Cheryl); Tracy Schow (married to Jennifer); daughter Jacoy Jones (married to Bruce) and stepdaughter, Stephanie Rosen. His grandchildren: Dakota (Bridgette), Marilyn, Krayden, Kyler (Nicole), Kameron, Kassie (Cameron), Katie (Drew), Hannah and Jacob. His great-grandchildren: Gavin, Keaton, Colton, and Benjamin. As well as his brother Randall Don Schow; and step-brothers Dennis Dickinson and Cecil Morris.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent directly via GC’s memorial site: https://everloved.com/life-of…. All donations are set to go directly to his forever soulmate, and wife, Kathy, as she navigates this new chapter in life, and tackles a mountain of medical bills.

If other donations are to be made, the family wishes they be sent in GC’s honor to the Seacoast Artists Guild (designate the Cushman Fund) www.seacoastartistsguild.org or the Carolina Poodle Rescue (https://carolinapoodlerescue.…)

GC’s final wish was to be cremated and have his ashes combined with the ashes of his beloved dogs, Kosmo and Chevy. Their ashes will be scattered at three different locations: Myrtle Beach, SC; on a cruise (date/location TBD); in Loon Lake, WA (date TBD). The cruise and Loon Lake dates/times/locations will be updated here on his memorial site.

The immediate Celebration of Life party and ceremonies are as follows:

• February 24: Scattering of Ashes (for family and friends)
• February 25:
• Beachside ceremony at Myrtle Beach State Park. Time TBD
• Celebration party at the Homewood Suites at Coastal Grand Mall. Immediately following the Beachside ceremony. Time TBD. For guests coming from out of town, lodging information will be posted separately.

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