Gary Hassay, 77, of Allentown, died Sept. 13, 2025 at St. Luke’s Hospice in Bethelehm. He was the only son of Joseph Hassay and Betty (Mickley) Hassay.

He was a Vietnam veteran serving in the U.S. Navy and graduated from Livingston College at Rutgers University in 1972. For many years he was director of technical services for Computer Parts U.S. and a freelance computer whiz.

He was the husband of the late Pamela Fearing Hassay who died in 2016.

He was a saxophonist, improviser and founding member of improvisationalmusicco., inc. (improvco), a not-for-profit presenting organization in Allentown. For more than 35 years, he, playing alto and tenor saxophones and, later, Tibetan throat singing, played with dozens of musicians at Lehigh Valley venues and in Philadelphia and New York, often incorporating dancers and painters into his performances. His output includes more than 20 albums, one of them Grammy-nominated, with collaborators such as Dave Burrell, Dave Liebman, Tracy Lisk, Tatsuya Nakatani and William Parker.

Improvco, founded in 1979, produced more than 130 concerts featuring jazz and improvising musicians from around the world.

His life and spirit will be celebrated 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 when four of his favorite musical partners – Ellen Christi, Tracy Lisk, William Parker and Steve Swell – perform at the Egner Chapel of Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. Donations at the door will all go to the musicians.