Gary Laden

Gary Mark Laden  

1947-2022  Gary M. Laden, 74, a resident of Washington, DC for over 50 years, died at his residence from complications of Parkinson's Disease on February 1, 2022. Gary (or simply "Gar" as he was called by many family members) was born on November 25, 1947 in Woodbridge, NJ, the older son of the late Joseph Jacob (Jack) and Flora Neiss Laden. He received his undergraduate degree from Adelphi University and a law degree from The George Washington University Law School. While in law school, he worked with Nader's Raiders.Gary had a distinguished legal career in the Federal government, first with the Federal Trade Commission and later at the Federal Communications Commission. Following his retirement from the Federal Service, he worked for a number of years for the Better Business Bureau. His specialty in the law was the field of consumer protection, seeking safeguards for people, their well-being and fairness of treatment, with a commitment to non-adversarial approaches to dispute resolution. His dispute resolution activities included trips to China and elsewhere, where he demonstrated his expertise in those approaches.Gary was an exceptionally kind and caring person with literally hundreds of friends. He was a huge fan of local theatre and would often organize a group of friends for theatre outings. He was a lover of fine wine and chocolate. He had a passion for traveling abroad, and visited friends and relatives in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America, amassing a large collection of tee shirts and baseball caps from his many destinations. He loved living in the Dupont Circle area, and was an ardent supporter of the Dupont Circle Village. Gary is survived by his brother, Rand of Oviedo, Florida; sister-in-law Susan; nephew Eric; niece Amanda; and too many family members and friends to name. A graveside ceremony was held in Woodbridge, NJ on February 6 2022. A local memorial service will be planned for some time in the Spring. His family has designated The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research as the desired recipient of donations in Gary's memory.