Gayle Margaret (Downing) Grass

GRASS, Gayle Margaret (Downing), 80, MARS HILL, February 16, 2013. A service in celebration of her life will be conducted Thursday, February 21, 2013, at the East Ridge Union Church, Mars Hill. Arrangements are in the care of Giberson-Dorsey Funeral Home, Fort Fairfield.

    MARS HILL – Gayle Margaret (Downing) Grass, 80, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, on February 16, 2013, surrounded by her loving and caring family, at the Aroostook Health Center in Mars Hill, after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. She was born May 15, 1932, in Pittsburgh, PA, the daughter of Herbert and Mildred (Houk) Downing.
    She leaves behind her loving and devoted husband of fifty-seven years, Kendall G. Grass, with whom she raised three sons and one daughter, Warren Grass and his wife, Donna of Mars Hill, Fonda McKnight and her husband, John of Fall River, MA, Darren Grass and his wife, Wendy, of Blaine, and Sheldon Grass and his wife, Linda, of Chester, NH. Gayle loved sharing special moments with her eleven grandchildren: Sarah (McKnight) Resendes and her husband, Eric of Cumberland, RI, Tim McKnight of Fall River, MA, Whitney (Grass) Williams and her husband, Darick, of Presque Isle, Patrick McKnight of Fall River, MA, Laura (Grass) Cantrell and her husband, Corey of Montrose, CO, Duska Grass of Orrington, Caleb Grass of Blaine, Sasha Grass of Mars Hill, Rodrick, Carly and Shelly Grass, of Chester, NH. She is also survived by three brothers and one sister, Glenn and Thelma “Tweet” Downing, of Ohio, Edwin and Lois Downing of Wisconsin, Ruth Ann and Joseph Miano, of Oklahoma, and John “Martin”; and Norma Downing of North Carolina.
    As a child, Gayle attended the school her grandfather, Rev. Lee Downing, one of the first white missionaries in east Africa, had helped to establish in Kenya. She graduated from Rift Valley Academy in 1951 and later attended Barrington College in Rhode Island where she and Kendall first met.
    Gayle will be remembered as a devoted and caring sister, wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and friend. In addition to nurturing her own growing family, Gayle taught elementary students at Westfield Elementary and Zippel Elementary, Presque Isle, for a combined thirty-two years. Gayle also served as a dedicated member, youth choir director, and junior church leader at East Ridge Union Church in Mars Hill where she and Kendall attended for fifty-five years.
    In addition to her many other responsibilities, Gayle also enjoyed working on the family farm, especially when she and Kendall delivered market hogs throughout New England.
    Friends may call from 12 to 1 p.m., Thursday, February 21, 2013, at the East Ridge Union Church, East Ridge Road, Mars Hill. Following calling hours, Pastor Lawrence Beals will conduct a service in celebration of Gayle’s life. Interment will take place in the spring at Pierce Cemetery in Mars Hill. In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to the East Ridge Union Church, P.O. Box 45, Mars Hill, ME 04758. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Giberson-Dorsey Funeral Home, 144 Main Street, Fort Fairfield.