While at Iowa State, she met John Richardson. They became Iowa State sweethearts and married on August 3, 1963. After they graduated from ISU, they moved to their lifelong home outside of Auburn, IA. There, they raised their 3 sons, Eric, Curt, and Dean.
Gail stayed home with her children, but did much more than just that. She worked many days on the farm hauling silage, driving a grain truck, moving cows, and hauling many loads of shell corn to the silos. She made her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren many quilts and other treasures; if you wanted it, she could make it with her sewing machine. Gail made many meals to either share at the field or at Iowa State tailgates. She enjoyed spending time with friends, playing bridge, and her book group, and also going on walks with her friend Vi.
Gail loved to take photos, and the number of scrapbooks she created is a testament to that. Sometimes you would see her sitting in her chair or at the table looking through them, and when she was able, she would tell you a story to go along with them. She always had a pot of coffee and chocolate chip cookies ready for morning coffee breaks and looked forward to hearing what was going on that day on the farm.
Gail loved to travel and made John get off the farm and go travel the world with her, and he will always be grateful for that. They enjoyed going on cruises, and one of her favorite trips to go on was to the Mediterranean, where she would bring back treasures for her family to enjoy. They also traveled to every Iowa State bowl game they could go to.
In the last few years of her life, it was hard for Gail to communicate. She missed her late son, Dean, very much. The last big smile we saw from Gail was when she met her newest great-granddaughter this summer.
She leaves behind her husband of 62 years, John, and two sons, Eric (Barb) and Curt (Teresa); 8 grandchildren – Bailley, Piper, Aubrey, Tess, Brad, Savanna, Jake, and Teddy; and 4 great-grandchildren – Laura, Elise, Lee, and Isla Jo. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, David, and her son, Dean.
