Gail Dunham passed away peacefully at home, August 23. In her final years, she fought the good fight against cancer with the same optimism and grit with which she lived her life.

Gail Dunham was born Gail Ellen Hein to Melvin and Catherine Hein August 11, 1935 in Petaluma, California. She grew up with a love of music and played the string bass in the school orchestra and sometimes sat in for her father’s jazz orchestra at gigs around the Bay Area. While a student at Petaluma High School she also sang in the choir and played sousaphone in the marching band.

Music also brought Gail the love of her life, Duane. The two first crossed paths while playing in several orchestras in Northern California. Duane offered to turn her music pages, which let to rides to rehearsals and before long a proposal. They married in 1953 and spent nearly 72 years side by side.

Gail enjoyed serving both family and church as a homemaker and pastor’s wife. Serving in church most often meant teaching children. Sunday School, Junior Church, Vacation Bible School, Backyard Bible Clubs developed her skill in teaching God’s Word to children.

During the busy years raising four children, she also worked toward a college degree and graduated from Portland State University in December of 1971. That was just one year before the oldest of her four children, entered the same university.

Her love of teaching carried into the classroom, where she spent many years guiding young students in classrooms around the Portland area, including HeadStart, Progress Christian and Gaarde Christian schools. Gail was determined that every child she taught would learn to read, laying down the foundation for lifelong learning.

Above all, Gail loved to teach the Word of God to children and leading them to salvation.

Being a grandma and great grandma brought her great joy. When she was able, she enthusiastically traveled for important life events like graduations and births. She loved to call on special days or just to check in. She was a thoughtful gift giver remembering birthdays and loved shopping for Christmas presents.

Gail was a friend to everyone, striking up a conversation came easily to her freely sharing her wisdom gained from years of faithful Bible study and living a life dedicated to others.

She is survived by husband Duane, children Rebecca Albjerg (Les), Ethan Dunham, Daniel Dunham (Pamela) and Lois Anderson (Bruce), 13 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren, as well as, brother Mark Hein.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday September 13th at 1:00 p.m. at Grandview Baptist Church in Oregon City.

If you'd like to honor Gail's memory with a donation, her family has chosen Thru the Bible and Wycliffe Bible Translators as meaningful options.