Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Gail was my first cousin, seven years younger, but close in spirit and friendship. My earliest memory of her was when she was no more than a year old during a visit with our grandparents in Pine Prairie, LA. She woke up in the middle of the night, started singing - yes, at that early age - and dancing while holding onto the crib railing. I was trying to sleep in the same room, so this made a lasting impression on me! She was happy, singing, and dancing and had no intention of stopping in spite of the efforts of all the sleepy family members. She was bright, lively, spontaneous, talented and fun to be around through the years. Our mothers were sisters so we met at our grandparents' home along with our sisters during the summers as we were somewhat quarantined during the polio epidemics of the 1940s. Our visits and phone conversations in recent years usually took us back to memories of adventures and creative play during those childhood visits. Gail's illness in more recent years put a stop to those happy conversations and visits. She was a private person who was uncomfortable with any public notice of her problems as she became more disabled. I will remember her as the lively active talented person I knew through many years.
