Gary Lewis Hollister

Successful entrepreneur, executive, athlete, husband, father, and grandfather, Gary Hollister passed peacefully in his sleep on March 7, 2021, at home at the age of 84.

Gary was born September 27, 1936, in Schenectady, NY. He enlisted in the Air Force after high school graduation in 1954 at the age of 17. There, he finished electronics training but was tapped to play baseball and spent his years traveling and entertaining our troops.

After the Air Force, he played professional baseball for the Phillies minor league team before continuing his education at Drake University, where he was awarded a basketball scholarship. He graduated as a business and accounting major and was recruited to Ernst & Young.

Gary Hollister has always been a man of vision. After Ernst & Young, he was recruited to Merle Norman Cosmetics in Los Angeles, California as controller. Several years later, he was named president and COO, during which time he repositioned the brand, doubled the number of stores, and skyrocketed sales with a 400% growth in five years. Gary was an excellent listener and a man of action. He had an extraordinary ability to see things where they were – and envision what they could be.

After Merle Norman, he served as CEO of MEI (an international salon company) and later CEO of Enrich International. Recognized for re-inventive success, he was asked to lead a turnaround strategy whereupon as part of his strategic, long-range plan, he was instrumental in introducing Enrich into the Japanese markets, the fastest-growing market. When sales and revenues were steadily and dramatically increasing, he moved on to the next budding company.

In 2002, he founded XanGo with his partners, where he was ultimately Chairman, CEO, and later Chairman Emeritus. He and his partners grew the distributor base to 2 million distributors in forty international market, resulting in a multi-billion-dollar brand. He was honored and awarded one of the national finalists in the prestigious “Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award® 2006” with his dear friend and partner, Aaron Garrity.

Throughout his career, one of Gary's skills was listening, recognizing, and cultivating talent, talent that others often missed. Hollister emulated his role model, Ronald Reagan, through his personal touch and the betterment of others. He played a key role in developing many careers. In the end, his genius was guiding and mentoring others so that excelled and believed in themselves and the beauty of their dreams.

Despite his business success, Gary’s true passion was golf. He traveled extensively, playing and conquering the best courses in the world. As a scratch golfer, he held the Los Angeles Country Club South Course record for years. He was most proud of beating Jack Nicklaus on the front 9 of his own course in Florida. His best score was an impressive 62 (par 72). Throughout his golfing career, he made a total of seven hole-in-ones. Putters and golf balls were scattered through the rooms of his homes like footprints. You always knew where he had been.

Throughout Gary’s life, he read a novel a week. In the last weeks of his life, he enjoyed listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer’s inspirational books. His favorite quote by William James was: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.” Gary’s motto was: “If you bring me a problem, bring me three solutions.”

He is survived in legacy by his wife Beverly of more than 32 years who partnered with him throughout their careers and supported him in all his glory during his heyday and lovingly supported him physically during their last years together. He is also survived by his four children: Mike, Jim, Dan and Amy; thirteen grandchildren; great-grandchildren, his brother Brian; and a host of in-laws, nieces, nephews, and longtime friends from around the world. Gary was a blessing to many and is deeply loved.

A private “Celebration of Life” for a “life well lived” will be held at a later date.