It is with profound sadness that on Saturday. May 20, 2023, Gail Fisher passed away at the tender age of 78 years. She passed away in her sleep at the University of Alberta hospital with her husband, Stan and son, Stanley at her bedside. She fought a great battle to stay with us all.

Gail was vibrant, energetic, “spunky” and had a fantastic sense of humour. She cherished her friendships, working relationships, volunteer commitments and family events. She was a wonderful mom, wonderful wife of 60 years, a trusted friend and a quiet leader!

Gail leaves husband, Stan; son, Stan Jr.; and daughter, Susan.

She was predeceased by her parents; older sister, Connie; and younger brother, Randy.

Gail was born and raised in Neudorf, Saskatchewan. In her early teens, she moved to Regina with her family. She graduated from Central Collegiate in Regina and then worked for the General Hospital and City of Regina.

Stan and Gail were high school sweethearts; Stan proposed and the two of them went off to Chicago, where Stan finished his college degree. While there, Gail worked for the Laboratory School for Exceptional Children at the University of Chicago and volunteered with Stan’s fraternity.

They chose to return to Regina and family ties, where Stan worked for the YMCA in Regina and Stanley and Susan were born. As a young Mom, Gail kept active as a volunteer with the Y and joined a sorority. Four years later they moved to Calgary and bought their first home and accepted the challenges of this new venture in their lives. Gail volunteered with the Calgary YMCA Handball Club, got involved with the sorority and did some part-time work, all while busily raising the kids.

In 1970 Gail encouraged Stan to take a new job in Sherwood Park as the Recreation and Parks Director. Gail also did some part-time work for the Recreation Department, got involved with sorority again, took on the Presidents role for a number of years, and volunteered with the Olympian Swim Club and Sherwood Park Handball Club. She became a director on the Winifred Stewart Associations Board of Directors, chairing the Residence Committee for years.

As Stanley got more involved in sport, he chose swimming as his competitive focus – thus, Gail became a swim mom. She was up every morning at 5 a.m. to ensure Stanley was in the water by 6 a.m. – breakfast and classes, another stint in the pool after school – she said it was a whirl. Susan was now at Winifred Stewart and Stan was working for the Alberta Government in Sports and Recreation and then joyfully with the Wild Rose Foundation. Gail kept him focused, saw her son get a swim scholarship to the University of Tampa and Susan get comfortable in her new residence while working full time with Strathcona County Rec/Park/Culture.

Retired after 40 years with the County --- Gail’s last role was as the Executive Assistant to the manager of that department. She told Stan she wanted regular breaks and new experiences during this time. This included trips with Susan to Disneyland, late January tanning vacations to Hawaii, and live theatre and shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York each year! It happened!

Gail never boasted about her travels and was always humble about her experiences – including going to conferences, or vacationing in these locales … Hong Kong, Taiwan, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cape Town SA, Moscow to see the ballet, St. Petersburg, Cyprus, Japan, Munich, Frankfurt and across Canada and the US. She used to say she was helping with that area’s economy. She was right! A highlight of her experiences was when she and Susan had a private meeting with their favourite singer, Engelbert Humperdinck after an Edmonton performance. Or when she was selected to be part of a delegation to visit Alberta’s sister province Hokkaido, Japan. She was part of a delegation to share volunteer experience and knowledge.

On that occasion, Gail was the guest lecturer/resource on residential services and programs for the mentally disabled. Shortly after retirement, Gail had emergency open heart surgery and was diagnosed with COPD. This limited things she still wanted to do and experience. However, friendships, local events, and family matters stayed in focus and continued until her passing. She valued these opportunities.

A fantastic cook and pyrogy maker, event planner/organizer, and friend, she still wanted to do more with those friends – but her body wasn’t co-operating to the same degree of energy and commitment. She stayed positive.

Gail, we will miss you. Love ya!

A Celebration of Life will be held Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Michael’s Heritage Hall, 7406 - 139 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5C 3H7.