It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that our friend, coworker and brother Gary “Loco” van de Wouw has passed away.
Gary’s tattooing career brought him from Holland to Canada and then the United States before eventually settling with us at our little shop in Stanwood, Washington. He was with us from the very beginning and helped to build Stanwood Tattoo Company into something we are all so proud of. To say that we are devastated is an understatement. The shop will never be the same without Gary and his presence will be missed more than we can ever express.
Gary was more than a coworker to us, he was like family. We spent time together outside of work, at shows, on holidays and celebrating important life events with each other.
When you got a tattoo from Gary, you didn’t just get a beautiful piece of art, you got a real music history lesson or maybe a story or two about Gary’s time with his band Brotherhood Foundation. Maybe he’d tell you about his most infamous tattoo or talk about his beloved dog, Geordie. He loved to chat about music and was never shy about sharing his opinions! But his favorite stories to tell were about his boys, Waylon and Hugo. He proudly shared with all of us about their latest accomplishments and adventures. He loved to show off the tattoos they did on his arm once they were “old enough”. Gary was so many things to all of us - but above all of it, he loved being their dad the most.
If you’ve been tattooed by Gary and want to share any pictures, stories and memories or just well wishes, please come to the shop and sign our memory book that we’ll be giving to his boys. We will be selling his Gary Loco shirts and sweatshirts for them or you can donate to a fund for Waylon and Hugo at the shop. We’ll share any information we have about an upcoming memorial when plans are finalized.
To all of Gary’s clients, please contact Lei at the shop about any appointments or deposits. We will do our best to help you out by either connecting you with another of our artists or refunding your deposit. We know that so many of you felt the same strong connection with Gary. We want to thank you all in advance for your understanding as we navigate our mutual loss together.
Artist of the Week in the Crab Cracker!
Waylon tattooing Gary!
Hugo tattooing Gary!
Gary and his boys on their recent trip to Europe.
Gary's band Brotherhood Foundation
Gary and his boys in our old space during the shutdowns.
Gary's infamous Ray Romano tattoo!
Gary getting tattooed by Sara at the shop
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that our friend, coworker and brother Gary “Loco” van de Wouw has passed away.
Gary’s tattooing career brought him from Holland to Canada and then the United States before eventually settling with us at our little shop in Stanwood, Washington. He was with us from the very beginning and helped to build Stanwood Tattoo Company into something we are all so proud of. To say that we are devastated is an understatement. The shop will never be the same without Gary and his presence will be missed more than we can ever express.
Gary was more than a coworker to us, he was like family. We spent time together outside of work, at shows, on holidays and celebrating important life events with each other.
When you got a tattoo from Gary, you didn’t just get a beautiful piece of art, you got a real music history lesson or maybe a story or two about Gary’s time with his band Brotherhood Foundation. Maybe he’d tell you about his most infamous tattoo or talk about his beloved dog, Geordie. He loved to chat about music and was never shy about sharing his opinions! But his favorite stories to tell were about his boys, Waylon and Hugo. He proudly shared with all of us about their latest accomplishments and adventures. He loved to show off the tattoos they did on his arm once they were “old enough”. Gary was so many things to all of us - but above all of it, he loved being their dad the most.
If you’ve been tattooed by Gary and want to share any pictures, stories and memories or just well wishes, please come to the shop and sign our memory book that we’ll be giving to his boys. We will be selling his Gary Loco shirts and sweatshirts for them or you can donate to a fund for Waylon and Hugo at the shop. We’ll share any information we have about an upcoming memorial when plans are finalized.
To all of Gary’s clients, please contact Lei at the shop about any appointments or deposits. We will do our best to help you out by either connecting you with another of our artists or refunding your deposit. We know that so many of you felt the same strong connection with Gary. We want to thank you all in advance for your understanding as we navigate our mutual loss together.
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| Artist of the Week in the Crab Cracker! |
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| Waylon tattooing Gary! |
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| Hugo tattooing Gary! |
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| Gary and his boys on their recent trip to Europe. |
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| Gary's band Brotherhood Foundation |
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| Gary and his boys in our old space during the shutdowns. |
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| Gary's infamous Ray Romano tattoo! |
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| Gary getting tattooed by Sara at the shop |
