Gail Diane Taylor

Gail Diane Taylor of Port Gamble passed away from cancer on July 8, 2020 at Bremerton, Washington. Gail was born on November 3, 1939 in Astoria, Oregon to Norman and Lula Thompson. Gail spent her early years in Oregon before moving to Edmonds in 1950 where she graduated as salutatorian of her class of 1957. Gail was an excellent swimmer and spent summers as a lifeguard, swimming instructor and girls camp counselor.

Gail's father was an avid hunter and fisherman and she spent many pleasant hours hunting and fishing with him. Gail was probably the only girl in Edmonds that owned a shotgun. She especially enjoyed camping on the Oregon and Washington coasts. Gail's father always had a Golden Retriever and Gail developed a lifelong affection for Goldens. She had recently acquired her latest Golden named Jocko and really enjoyed spoiling him.

Gail went on to attend Whittier College and then studied at Universities in Copenhagen and Oslo before returning to obtain her degree from Washington State University. She traveled to Europe by herself via a ship. While in Copenhagen during Christmas break, she booked passage on a cargo ship to visit relatives in Helsinki, Finland. After two days the ship became frozen in the ice and they had to wait another two days for an icebreaker to free them. Once Gail arrived in Helsinki, she found that none of her relatives spoke English so they spent their visit communicating using translation books. She traveled all over western Europe and on another trip she and some friends went to East Berlin and were detained by the authorities for a day which was not the most pleasant experience.

Gail met Ed Taylor in 1960 and they were married in 1963 in Beaverton, Oregon. She took a position as assistant to the director of the Frye Art Museum in Seattle. After that she went to work in the Accounting Department at the Standard Oil company office in Seattle. She then became a full-time mother to her two children. When the children were older, she held several accounting positions mostly in the automobile business. Because of her husband's job transfers, Gail handled six moves with the setting up of six new residences. Upon retirement, she was finally able to supervise the building of the family's dream home on Hood Canal where she was able to fully partake in her passion for gardening. She had the proverbial "green thumb" because it seemed whatever she planted, grew. She was able to turn her home's property into a small park where she truly enjoyed working with her flowers and shrubs. Gail was not one to call attention to herself or expect credit for all the help and kindness she directed to close friends and neighbors, but those were just two of her wonderful qualities. Gail excelled at whatever she undertook from baking her signature blackberry pies to calligraphy, art and accounting. Hers was a life well lived.

Gail was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Sandra Johnson of Ellensburg, Washington. She is survived by her husband, Ed of Port Gamble, son Eric Taylor of Tacoma, daughter Jennifer Taylor Cave, son-in-law Francis and granddaughter Megan Cave, all of the UK, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews. The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at St. Michael's Hospital in Bremerton for the care they gave to Gail. At her request, no formal services will be held. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the North Kitsap Fishline (kitsapfishline.org) would be appreciated.