Gayle E. Pierce
02 . 20 . 47 - 02 . 05 . 20
Gayle Pierce was born in Visalia California, the youngest of 2 children, to John Pierce Jr. and Aleda Mae Pierce. Gayle, who lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for over 40 years, passed away on February 5, 2020 in her home beside the Chena River in North Pole, 15 days before her 73rd birthday. She is survived by her older brother, John Pierce III, M.D. who lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife, Anita Pierce.
Growing up, Gayle was an accomplished English equestrian show jumping rider. She graduated from Mills College in 1969 and traveled around the world for several years. She lived in Tokyo, Paris and Rome and became fluent in Japanese and French. She visited Russia and spent a few weeks in Moscow in the very first days of Perestroika and Glasnost.
After their marriage, Tony Gasbarro and Gayle moved to Fairbanks. They were divorced but remained lifelong friends. Gayle taught school for several years, became the president of the National Education Association Alaska teachers union, and spent the rest of her working life as a very strong and effective negotiator for the union and then the Fairbanks School district. She was well loved and well respected by both sides.
Her early years of work with NEA often required travel by bush plane to remote villages all over Alaska to represent their teachers. She fully embraced the rural Alaska life and built a secluded home by the Chena River.
In 1991, she adopted two brothers from Calcutta, now Kolkata, India. In her own words, “That was the best decision in my life.” She was proud of her two sons: Bis, who is now an estate planning attorney, and Suro, who is now a school principal. Both her sons live in Seattle, Washington with their respective spouses. The last surviving animal of the many that Gayle rescued and adopted in her lifetime, Bella, a loyal 13 year old pomeranian-papillion dog, now also lives in Seattle with Bis and his wife.
Although initially an outsider to Alaska, Gayle brought together a wonderful group of people over the course of her life. They were her loving and caring Alaska family and Alaska was her home. She was a real sourdough through and through.
Click on the button above for a list of charities that Gayle was invested in.
The Gayle Pierce that we know was a smart, kind, selfless, and generous person. She made it a priority to be very philanthropic with her time and money to missions and causes that were close to her heart. The legacy of someone like Gayle is one that deserves to be honored and carried forward by all of us.
If she has instilled inspiration in your heart to make a positive impact, select from a list of her favorite organizations where you can contribute in her honor and memory.
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This space is dedicated to honoring the memories and celebrating the life of Gayle. We invite you to share your thoughts, stories, messages of love, and remembrance.
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This page is dedicated to celebrating Gayle's life through the lens of cherished memories. We invite you to share photos and videos that capture the special moments you experienced with her.
