Elizabeth Hanna Well, my mom is finally at peace, free from her life long battle with all of her health issues. She passed late last night (received July 5, 2010).
July 5, 2010:
As some of you know, Dottie Benzenhafer Fritchman and I visited Gail this spring when I was in Florida. Her asthma had progressed to the point where she was on oxygen 24/7, and it was very difficult for her to talk without coughing. She had a wonderful attitude and was content and at peace. We met her wonderful husband, John, who adored her. Sorry to have to report such sad news. Ginny
I'm so sorry to hear of Gail's passing away. So many of my school memories have escaped me, but I do remember Gail's infectious laugh. You knew it was her coming down the hall long before you ever even laid eyes on her. She was a joy to be around. My condolences to her family and friends.
Dear Elizabeth and John, I am so sad to hear of Gail's passing. And yes, she is at peace. I am sure she was a fighter through her health issues. I always thought she was so cute and had a great smile. She was an adorable majorette too. I know you will miss her dearly. I pray that God will give you both the grace and strength to see you through the difficult days ahead.
God bless you both in a special way. Sincerely, Carol Dutkiewicz Saffell
I lived next door to Gail and her parents and then later her grandparents too. through jr. high and high school. I went to various camps and vacations with her and watched the entire family deal with her medical problems. I was so looking forward to seeing her again at the reunion. She was so cheerful and positive. May God be with her family and loved ones.
Before Gail and her family lived next door to the Mahnke's, they lived on Grant Avenue across the street from me. We spent countless hours together: she being an only child, and I, being the "baby" in my family, provided us with a very convenient and precious friendship. Like Janice, I went places with Gail Elizabeth. Once, her mother said I could go with her to Philadelphia--unchaperoned, on the train. We were ten. Off we went to Jefferson Hospital. I waited while she had her lungs treated. Then we went to Woolworth's for chicken salad sandwiches and black and white sodas-(her routine). Home in Willow Grove, she could breathe a little easier and resume her almost "normal" life until the next time she needed help to breathe. She invited me to Sunday School at her church and to Bible camp in Quarryville. The things I learned because of her neighborhood evangelism, forever changed my life, and, I believe they will have eternal consequences.
I joined Gail's former church when I was fifteen. I was married there, my kids were baptized there, and I still worship there. But, those things, as Gail knew, are only outward expressions of faith. Facing death with full confidence in God's promises is why she was so inwardly calm and courageous in her final days.
Just imagine: she is home with her Creator and her Savior. She can breathe without effort. And, I'll see her again someday. That is such a comfort to me. I pray that in time it will be a comfort to her family and her many other friends as well. "Friends are friends forever when the Lord's the Lord of them".
Joan Haas (Ferketich)
I'm so sorry to hear of Gail's passing away. So many of my school memories have escaped me, but I do remember Gail's infectious laugh. You knew it was her coming down the hall long before you ever even laid eyes on her. She was a joy to be around. My condolences to her family and friends.
Carol Dutkiewicz (Saffell)
Dear Elizabeth and John, I am so sad to hear of Gail's passing. And yes, she is at peace. I am sure she was a fighter through her health issues. I always thought she was so cute and had a great smile. She was an adorable majorette too. I know you will miss her dearly. I pray that God will give you both the grace and strength to see you through the difficult days ahead.
God bless you both in a special way. Sincerely, Carol Dutkiewicz Saffell
Janice Mahnke
I lived next door to Gail and her parents and then later her grandparents too. through jr. high and high school. I went to various camps and vacations with her and watched the entire family deal with her medical problems. I was so looking forward to seeing her again at the reunion. She was so cheerful and positive. May God be with her family and loved ones.Janice Mahnke
Bonnie Walsh (Klenk)
Before Gail and her family lived next door to the Mahnke's, they lived on Grant Avenue across the street from me. We spent countless hours together: she being an only child, and I, being the "baby" in my family, provided us with a very convenient and precious friendship. Like Janice, I went places with Gail Elizabeth. Once, her mother said I could go with her to Philadelphia--unchaperoned, on the train. We were ten. Off we went to Jefferson Hospital. I waited while she had her lungs treated. Then we went to Woolworth's for chicken salad sandwiches and black and white sodas-(her routine). Home in Willow Grove, she could breathe a little easier and resume her almost "normal" life until the next time she needed help to breathe. She invited me to Sunday School at her church and to Bible camp in Quarryville. The things I learned because of her neighborhood evangelism, forever changed my life, and, I believe they will have eternal consequences.
I joined Gail's former church when I was fifteen. I was married there, my kids were baptized there, and I still worship there. But, those things, as Gail knew, are only outward expressions of faith. Facing death with full confidence in God's promises is why she was so inwardly calm and courageous in her final days.
Just imagine: she is home with her Creator and her Savior. She can breathe without effort. And, I'll see her again someday. That is such a comfort to me. I pray that in time it will be a comfort to her family and her many other friends as well. "Friends are friends forever when the Lord's the Lord of them".
Bonnie Walsh Klenk