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Trewhella, Gail Marie (nee Shutek) passed away on Wednesday, October 26. We surrounded our beautiful wife, mom and granny with the huge love of her family and said our goodbyes as she fell peacefully to sleep with her husband of 54 years, Bill, at her side.

Gail was born on August 5, 1940 in Trail, BC to Irene and John Shutek. In the 1930’s, Gail’s grandfather built a row of homes for each of his four children on Forrest Drive in Warfield. Gail lived her entire life there, growing up in the family home at 470 Forrest Drive. She married Bill Trewhella in 1962, and they moved to 480 Forrest Drive, where they raised their two daughters, Leanne and Shelley. She and Bill were blessed with two grandsons, Graham and Logan, who were raised by Leanne and Terry in another of the family homes at 460 Forrest Drive. The boys were so fortunate to have spent their childhood years with Granny and Papa close by.

Gail was predeceased by her father John Shutek; her mother, Irene O’Connor; her stepfather, Joe O’Connor and her brothers, Jack and Allan Shutek. She is survived by her husband, Bill; her daughters Leanne Proulx (Greg Knight) and Shelley Trewhella; grandsons Graham Proulx (Jill) and Logan Proulx (Aly Brouwer) and great granddaughters Alexis and Paige Proulx. Without a doubt, her entire family brought her the greatest joy in her life. She was at home with her girls as they were growing up, and she spent countless hours sharing in her grandsons’ lives and sports activities. More recently, one of her greatest pleasures was having her two adoring great granddaughters burst through the door with huge hugs for their Granny.

Gail was passionate about gardening, spending hours poring over seed catalogues during the winter, planting beautiful flower pots in the spring and tending to her vegetable gardens all summer. In her younger years, she loved canning, cooking and baking, as well as spending time with family friends, particularly their neighbours, Shirley and Pat, and their kids – Darin, Roxanne and Rochelle.

Gail lived her entire life by the principles of true love and care for her family, genuine kindness for others, and appreciation for all that she had in life. The loss of this gentle woman, who was appreciated more than words can say, will leave an irreplaceable void in our lives. She was a truly good person, and her goodness has helped to create the strong foundation on which our family has been built - a foundation that will hold us up in the days, weeks and years to come.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish on Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 11:00 am with Father Bart van Roijen, Celebrant. Bill Clark of Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services™ has been entrusted with arrangements.

As an expression of sympathy, donations in Gail’s name may be made to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Health Foundation at 1200 Hospital Bench, Trail, BC, V1R 4M1 or online at www.kbrhhealthfoundation.ca

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