Gail W. Roethel, 81, died on July 9, 2020, at the Nottingham. A former resident of Fayetteville, she was born on Dec. 3, 1938, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Daniel and Ethel Whitehead.
After graduating from the Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica, N.Y., in 1956, Gail attended Pace College in New York City while working as a secretary for U.S. Trust, earning a degree in secretarial administration.
In 1960, she married her husband, Harold, and moved to Trenton, N.J. After a brief stay in Trenton, they moved to the northern New Jersey area, eventually settling in Maplewood, where Gail was a member of the Women’s Club for several years.
In 1974, Gail moved to Fayetteville, N.Y., with her family, where she was an active member of the local chapter of Beta Sigma Phi and taught religious education at Immaculate Conception church. She eventually resumed her career in the early 1980s, working as an accounting manager for several years at The Smith Group, a former advertising/public relations agency in Syracuse. Gail retired in 2002, two years after The Smith Group merged with Eric Mower and Associates.
During retirement, Gail served as a board member for several years with the Fayetteville Senior Center, including vice-chair, and co-chaired several successful fundraisers.
Gail enjoyed many hobbies, including gardening, tennis, sailing, reading, sewing and hiking in the Adirondacks. She was a member of Willowbank Yacht Club in Cazenovia, Drumlins Tennis in Dewitt and the former Limestone Tennis Club in Manlius.
She was predeceased by her parents; sister, Carolyn Wertz; son, Steven; and a niece, Elizabeth.
She is survived by her husband, Harold Roethel, of Jamesville, N.Y.; her brother, William Whitehead, of Red Oak,Texas; and her daughters, Mary Frances Turnbull (Michael) of Tampa, Fla., Jennifer Roethel of Syracuse; Cara Ross (Richard) of Fayetteville; and a grandson, Alexander Turnbull.
A funeral was held July 16 at the Immaculate Conception Church, in Fayetteville, N.Y., with burial at Immaculate Conception cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fayetteville Senior Center, 584 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville, N.Y., 13066.
