Family, friends and local leaders will gather Saturday to remember Gary Sain, the president and CEO of Visit Orlando who died suddenly last week.
Visitation services were held Friday afternoon at the Baldwin Fairchild Ivanhoe Chapel, in Orlando.
Another visitation will be held at Nortland Church in Longwood Saturday morning one hour before Sain's funeral.
Schedule of services
Source: Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Homes
- Visitation - Saturday, May 12
- 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
- Northland Church
530 Dog Track Road, Longwood
- Funeral - Saturday, May 12
- 11 a.m.
- Northland Church
530 Dog Track Road, Longwood
- Interment - Saturday, May 12
- Immediately following funeral
- Palm Cemetery
1005 N. New York Ave., Winter Park
Sain remembered
Gary Sain died suddenly Friday night following a charity event. He was 61.
Sain took over as the head of Visit Orlando from 2007, changing the group's name from the Orlando Tourism Bureau. He has been credited as one of the driving forces behind making Orlando the No. 1 family destination in the world during his administration.
Local leaders have praised the work Sain did for Orlando and Orange County, and his devotion to his job and the local tourism industry.
"I'm rather disappointed that I know him as well as I do," said Orange County Mayor Jacobs as the County Commission remembered Sain during National Travel and Tourism Week. "If I hadn't had this opportunity in the last year to spend time with him, I wouldn't know what a great loss we've all experienced."
Jacobs said she regrets the community as a whole did not appreciate all the hard work Sain did.
Sain was supposed to be honored with a proclamation during Tuesday's meeting. Instead, Jacobs said that proclamation will be presented to Sain's wife, Pam, during Saturday's funeral service.