Gary Richard Kareff passed away on March 22, 2026 at the age of 75. Affectionately known to many as the “Honey Man”, Gary touched the lives of countless people around him. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Gary met and married Jill Tannenhaus in a loving matrimony of over 55 years. Gary and Jill met in the summer of 1967 in Crystal Beach, Ontario at the amusement park which was famous for its roller coasters including The Comet. Gary is a proud alumnus of Bennet High School, University at Buffalo (SUNY), and Buffalo State University. Gary loved tooling around in his Harley Davidson, and drove an Oldmobile 442 muscle car, a 1969 Pontiac Firebird, and a VW hippie van.
Gary and Jill relocated to south Florida in 1982 to open Hearing Consultants where he helped hearing impaired people regain their hearing with the help of new digital hearing aids. Gary and Jill settled in Coral Springs and brought three wonderful children into the world Spencer, Marty, and Allison.
As a passionate entrepreneur Gary went on to found SMAKattack named after his children Spencer, Marty, Allison, Kareff (SMAK). Gary started from a single tent at the local farmers market and grew to a full-scale honey business. Local farmers market honey is sold in over a dozen farmers markets throughout south Florida. He also co-founded Community Farmers Markets of South Florida which manages farmers markets for several cities in Broward County. Gary was awarded Small Business of the Year Award by the city of Tamarac for the weekly Sunday Farmers Market. Gary worked tirelessly for close to two decades with friends, family, and the community to create a space where people from all walks of life could gather, shop, and share the beautiful Florida sunshine.
Gary loved traveling and spending time with his three kids and six grandkids. He loved cheering from the sideline for their sporting events and performances. Gary enjoyed celebrating many holidays with his family members and friends. Gary and Jill visited Alaska, the Mighty Five National Parks, an extensive tour of Italy, and were planning to take the Rocky Mountaineer train through Canada. Each year they looked forward to a surprise trip with the four oldest grandchildren to an undisclosed location.
In lieu of flowers we request that you plant a tree or donate to AWARE, Association for Wild Animal Rehabilitation and Education in Niagara County, New York at awarewildlife.com
“It’s good to be the honey man.”
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