Friday, June 8, 2007

Celebrating Gail

Hi Everyone, Kimberly here.

I know everyone is anxious to come together and celebrate what a wonderful person Gail was and continues to be, and to share how she touched each of us. We will be holding a memorial service for Gail on Monday, June 11 at 7:00 pm. The service will be held at Mariners Church, located at Shoreline Station, 225 S. Cabrillo Hwy. in Half Moon Bay. For directions to the church, click here. If you would like to bring a finger food/appetizer to the service please contact Karen Holmes at holmzfam@sonic.net.

Mariners Church and Big Wave Group are setting up a Memorial Fund as well, and we will be sending out the details as we receive them.

Greg and I were fortunate to spend this past week surrounded by people who knew and loved Gail. There was a steady stream of visitors at the hospital and as introductions were made, one of the first questions asked was always, “How are you related to Gail?” In every response it was apparent that no matter what the relationship, or how short or how long a person knew Gail, the bond she had with each person was deep, strong, and lasting. As Greg and I go through the pain of losing Gail we are comforted by the love we feel from her family & friends, people that Greg and I now consider our family. Even in my sadness I feel joy, and I know in my heart that is exactly what Gail would want.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not only am I celebrating the life of Gail but I am celebrating the lives of those around her and myself. She has influenced my life in ways that I cannot describe. I have been blessed to cross paths with Devon and Jon and Gail. It does not matter how long our paths crossed. What matters is that we love. There is no easy way around matters of the heart and there is no easy way to face the heavens. Gail, I will be in your wings as you are an angel from above and I will not be flying alone!

Anonymous said...

To everyone in Northern California:

Here's a story I can remember involving Gail, when she was the youth director at Anaheim Japanese Free Methodist Church. If you know Gail real well, you know she could have a poker face, and help participate in a funny prank or two. In this prank (back in 1987), she helped 2 of us pull a gag on Jon, by telling us where they kept a spare key for his company owned Ford Aerostar van. One of the youth leaders I worked with decided to newspaper Jon's van when only 3 junior high boys showed up for a youth meeting one Friday night. Before we went to Jon & Gail's apartment, we bought some ice cream to butter up Jon. While the boys distracted Jon, the one who instigated the prank sneaked out, and unlocked the van. Gail soon arrived home, and kept quiet about the prank we were pulling off. We got out about 11:55 p.m. and started making a mess inside Jon's van; however, I saw a lady across from Jon and Gail's apartment looking out her window. I told the instigator that I saw a lady looking outside her window, but he just said to me that I was just being scared. Within a few minutes, a police chopper flew over us with the night sun shining into the van. I told the instigator and the boys to make it look like we were just loading the van, after the instigator started panicking. I believe Gail found that prank amusing, and Jon was a sport about it. And yes, I told Devon about this a few years ago, and he got a good laugh out of it. I'm sure Gail was watching me as I wrote this blog, and having a great laugh in heaven. Hey Gail, I'm not going to forget this one for a long time! And I won't forget the time I had my first Tommy's hamburger either...we had plenty of fun together, and when we're all in heaven years from now, we'll have some more laughs together!

"Mr. E" from O.C.

Anonymous said...

My first time meeting Gail was at the ministry sign-up tables above the churcch, before we took over the upper office. I had been really sick lately and feeling so afraid that my illnees would take my life before I could seee my son grow up, or retire with my husband.
I must have had a look of dispair that she understood, because she came right up to me and said, "You may not know me, but my name if Gail and I have Lupus. I heard you may have it too, and badly want to help you through this troubling time." Jon with was with her, and they gave me a brief recap of her life with Lupus. I asked her how she made ie though the rough days and she said, "I just smile with the Lord and thank him for my blessings." What a strong woman!
I turned out that I didin't have Lupus, but another Autoimmune disease that ran its nasty course the last 5 years. On occasion, Gail would come to me and say, "Natalie...where can I hug you and tell you you are special?" That action, above all, was volumes of wisdom, grace and peace from a woman who had the hands an feet of Jesus.