Pittsburgh morning radio staple John Garry Lindemulder, of 'O'Brien & Garry,' dead at 91

John Garry Lindemulder was popularly known as John Garry to listeners of the “O’Brien & Garry” morning radio show on 1250 WTAE-AM and its sister station, 96.1 WHTX-FM. He also was known as a legend in the world of radio.

Garry began his radio career in Flint, Mich., and went on to work at WTOD and WSPD in Toledo, Ohio; WGH in Norfolk, Va.; and WIST in Charlotte, N.C.; before landing in Pittsburgh in 1972.

He and co-host Larry O’Brien became familiar voices to thousands of Pittsburghers with their popular wake-up broadcast that aired for more than 20 years. Their show was a light-hearted escape for listeners from 5 to 10 a.m. every weekday. Garry retired in 1997 but made occasional appearances with O’Brien on KDKA and filled in at WWSW from time to time.

Garry, who moved from his longtime home in Export to Hiram, Ga., last year, died Sept. 16 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 91.

Born in Detroit, Garry moved with his family to Toledo, Ohio, where he earned a degree at the University of Toledo after high school.

He was drafted into the Army and served in Germany during the end of the Korean War.

He then got into radio, which Garry’s son Scott Lindemulder, of Temple, Ga., told the Tribune-Review in an interview, was not something his father necessarily sought out.

“When he found it, it was ‘Oh, this is what I should be doing. I’m good at this.’ I often wonder what would Dad have done if he didn’t host a morning radio show? It’s hard to answer that question, because he was built for it.”

During his first radio gig in Flint, Mich., Garry found his mojo, and in the early ’60s had earned a name for himself at two stations in Toledo as a memorable disc jockey.

After time in Norfolk, Va., and Charlotte, N.C., Garry was offered a position at WTAE-AM in 1972, reconnecting him with O’Brien, whom he’d met years earlier at a station in Toledo. In 1975, the duo was able to convince station management to let them try hosting their own morning show.

Mark Roberts, a former WTAE disc jockey and program administrator, wrote on his Facebook page: “John has been a good friend since I first met him upon his arrival at WTAE. Our kids grew up together, and we spent much time with John at his pool and at the beach. We’ll all miss him greatly.”

Their friendship ended up translating well on-air, leading to decades of laughs shared with the rest of the city.

Their top-rated show featured takes on current events and skits featuring an assortment of characters, like Mr. Science and Jimmy, Tethers the Clown and Lt. Macho.

“Those are the things they built their foundation on. I’d go to work with (Dad) on several occasions and to see him go to work banging out scripts for these characters they would create. When I was a kid watching him work, I thought ‘Well, that’s just how it’s done,’” Scott Lindemulder, who went on his own radio career as an on-air personality and later a program director and consultant, said.

“You play the part of yourself but you also play the part of these characters that you conjure for really good reasons,” Lindemulder said. “They’re either parodies or they’re built to take on certain issues, or be humorous in a way that you may not want to have associated with your own personal self. And so you build this character that can take care of that. And these guys were masters at it.”

Lindemulder said he would hear those characters borrowing phrases used in his dad’s parental interaction with himself and his three brothers.

“The character Mr. Science was really who my Dad was when he was irritated with us and was explaining something, or he was just having fun with us. Quips like ‘Ah, there’s some pre-teen humor, pre-pubescent attitude.’ We would hear that in real life and then hear it on the air and go, ‘He’s using us.’ I always thought it was kind of a cool thing.”

In 1983, the pair was moved from their top slot at WTAE to its FM sister station, 96.1 WHTX, to make room for other shows.

Jack Bogut, another longtime radio personality on KDKA-AM, remembered Garry on his Facebook page, writing: “Sorry to hear about John Garry’s passing. He and Larry O’Brien were great, classy and cordial competitors. We shared some laughter and a few pranks on each other over the years. It was a different time then. My condolences to John’s family.”

By 1992, the “O’Brien & Garry” show came to 100.7 WMXP-FM before returning to the WTAE-AM fold in 1994.

Scott Lindemulder said what made their show successful was their authenticity.

“They were genuine people,” he said. “They were honest. They weren’t playing above anybody’s head. They weren’t trying to be anything other than who they were. And lucky for them, they were both a couple of very talented, very comedic, theatrically minded people that got together on this show.… They had characters, they had skits. But they were always themselves on the air. You didn’t have to wonder who you were listening to.”

Four years after his retirement, in 2001, Garry was the recipient of the Pittsburgh Achievement in Radio Lifetime Achievement Award.

Along with his son Scott, Mr. Garry is survived by his three other sons, Eric Lindemulder, of Fairfield, Calif., Gregg Lindemulder, of Sacramento, Calif., and Markie Lindemulder, of Denver; his former wife Janet Keyer Lindemulder, of Temple, Ga.; and two granddaughters.

A celebration of life is planned for 1 p.m. Nov. 4 at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Inquiries should be made to Scott Lindy at sklindy66@gmail.com with “John Garry” in the subject line.

Those unable to attend are encouraged to send stories and photos to share at the same email address. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, may be made.