William F. Gale, 63
William Francis Gale, 63, of Austin, died on April 19, 2009 at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.
Bill was born to Harley and Loretta Gale on Jan. 17, 1946 in Sioux Falls, S.D. He graduated from O’Gorman High School in 1964 and from Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. in 1968. On June 15, 1968 he was united in marriage to Janine Pekas at Christ the King Church in Sioux Falls, S.D. Bill worked for the State of South Dakota from 1968 to 1972. The family moved to Austin and Bill worked for Hormel Foods until his retirement in December 2005.
Bill was blessed with three children, Marc (Kari), Rosemount, Minn., Gretchen (Mike) Busch, Stevensville, Mich., Meghan (Brad) Nielsen, Austin, Texas; eight grandchildren, Emma and Morgan Gale, Max, Anna, Elli and Alex Busch, Cole and soon-to-be baby girl, Nielsen.
Bill’s greatest joy in life was time spent with his family. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, golfing, biking and grilling for anyone who would listen to his jokes. He brought joy and laughter to everyone he met. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Survivors include his wife, Janine, Austin; brother, Jim (Dorothy) Gale, Sioux Falls; three children and eight grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at St. Augustine Catholic Church with Father Joe Fogal and Father Paul Nelson officiating. There will be a 6:30 p.m. wake service on Wednesday at Mayer Funeral Home where friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. and also from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorials are preferred to the American Cancer Society.