Gayle (Gillaspy) Harvey

Gayle L. Harvey 1931-2023. On Friday, March 3, 2023, Gayle Louise Harvey, at the age of 91, went home to be with the Lord, after a brief illness. Gayle, who loved the Arizona foothills, had lived in the Fountain Hills, and Rio Verde, AZ. area for over 20 years, after having lived in other suburban areas of Phoenix. Gayle was born at Fairview Park Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, on September 11, 1931. Her early years were spent in Berea, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her father, William S. (Jack) Gillaspy, her mother, Violet L. Gillaspy (Schelkopf), and her brother, Charles W. Gillaspy (Bill). She is survived by her three daughters and two grandchildren, all of whom were her source of pride: Susan Harvey, Fountain Hills, AZ, Kathleen Samp (Harvey), Cape Coral, Florida, and Teri Bowers (Harvey) and husband Tom, Cape Coral, Florida. Gayle is also survived by two grandchildren, Ryan D. Samp, San Francisco, California, and John P. Glancy, Baltimore, Maryland. Gayle graduated from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. She began her education at OSU 1949-1951, then “life got in the way” with the birth of her three daughters. While raising three young children, she returned to college in 1962 proudly accepting her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from OSU in June, 1964. Gayle was a lifelong educator, retiring from the teaching profession after 36 years in the classroom. She began her career in Ohio, and subsequently continued her career after her move to Arizona. During her career she taught all ages in Wapakoneta, Lima, and Columbus, Ohio, plus Avondale, and Fountain Hills, AZ. Not only an educator, she was also a lifelong learner as well. She began her postgraduate
work in Ohio and a continued her studies in Arizona. She was certified to teach Elementary (grades 1-8), Reading (grades 1-12), Special Education (1-12), Emotionally Handicapped (grade 1-12),
Learning Disabled (grade 1-12), and English as a Second Language. She was also the family’s “go to” person on matters related to proper writing and punctuation, and grammar, as well as etiquette! Additionally, Gayle’s innate talent for design and her artistic eye was often sought by friends and family. We will miss her passion, her vision and her loving light.
There are no services planned at this time. A celebration of Gayle’s life well lived in service to others will be held at a future date.