US luthier and The Strad contributor Gary Vessel suffered a stroke last week; his son Dylan Vessel has set up a GoFundMe page to cover his medical bills and living costs
A fundraiser has been set up for luthier Gary Vessel, who suffered a severe stroke on 7 May and is currently receiving critical care.
Vessel’s son, Dylan, established the GoFundMe page to help support his extensive medical bills for the hospital stay, emergency services, procedures and ongoing care, as well as living costs while he is unable to work.
’Unfortunately, due to some administrative issues with the state, my dad was uninsured at the time of his stroke,’ said Dylan Vessel.
’I am working diligently to get him retroactive coverage and will continue to look into alternative solutions, of which there are many, but those things take time, which we simply don’t have.’
As of Monday 12 May, nearly $35,000 has been raised of its $100,000 target.
Vessel is a contributor to the Violin Society of America and runs Vessel Stringed Instruments in Modesto, California, which is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers.
He wrote a Trade Secrets article on varnish retouch for the March 2025 issue of The Strad.
He graduated from the Violin Making School of America in 1988 and worked for Machold in Bremen, Germany, under Marcel Richters, with further association with Roger Hargrave. He studied in Seattle with Rafael Barrabba and established his own workshop in Salt Lake City in 1991.
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