Gayle Standridge

Gayle Frances Standridge of Bryan-College Station, Texas passed December 1, 2020 after a 5-year struggle with liver cancer. She was born in 1945 in National City, CA to Evelyn Drummond and Ralph Epperly, and graduated from Sweetwater High School in National City, CA in 1963.

She was a Navy wife for 20 years and traveled enthusiastically far and wide. Most cherished of her travels were Keflavik, Iceland and Rhoda, Spain. In-state duty stations included Florida; California; and Adak, Alaska, an island at the end of the Aleutian Islands.

Her federal civil service career began in Anchorage, AK, working for the Office of Personnel Management in Human Resources in 1982. Over the years she became a human resources and retirement specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Ft. Rich, AK; Walla Walla, WA; Sierra Vista, AZ; and U.S Fish and Wildlife which brought her back to Alaska, retiring in 2006.

She had many interests but was most passionate about crime stories, thrillers, and books with a twist. She kept detailed notes of characters names, ages, motives; along with settings and possible suspects inside each cover as she tore through a new story. She loved crosswords, recipe collections, and all genres of music. Her treasured 8-track, vinyl, cassette, and CD collections were meticulously organized alphabetically, and she took pride in her system.

She treasured the many friends that became family in her travels and will be remembered for her quick wit, wicked sense of humor and sarcasm, and her unapologetic honesty. Always a bit before her time, she pushed contemporary boundaries to make a better world for future generations.

She leaves behind one daughter Alana Standridge Summerlin (Greg) of Bryan-College Station TX; grandsons Luke Honeck of Chicago, IL; Brandon Summerlin of Bryan-College Station TX; Jordan Summerlin of Anchorage, AK.

She was the oldest sibling of 5 leaving behind three living sisters, Bonnie New (Ralph) of Caldwell ID; Linda Hsu of Wichita KS; and Janice Bolts (Mark); and was preceded in death by two brothers Alan Epperly and Michael Epperly.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the American Heart Association or American Cancer Society. Her remains will be spread in Homer, Alaska, her favorite place.