Gayle Dee Lund (Cairo) passed away suddenly on January 28, 2024 at the age of 85 at her home in Ripon, California. A beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother (GiGi), godmother, aunt, sister, and friend, she leaves behind a legacy of love and cherished memories. Gayle was born on September 25, 1938 to Julius “Reno” and Dorothy “Alice” Cairo (Rison) in Richmond, California where she lived with her parents and older brother George until moving to Pleasanton in 1942.
Gayle attended Amador Valley High School and was a proud Amador Don her whole life. She served on many committees over the years and especially enjoyed planning her class reunions and any event celebrating Amador or Pleasanton. She always looked forward to seeing friends and classmates. Keeping track of all the graduates of not only her class of 1956 but all the lists for those reunions was a responsibility she was passionate about. She never stopped being the cheerleader she was at Amador either as she could be found throughout her life in the stands during her daughter’s, grandchildren’s, and great grandchildren’s events which she rarely missed. Working on the book “Cruising Down Memory Lane” and attending the panel discussions brought her so much joy this past year. She never stopped being Maid of Pleasanton or a proud mayor’s daughter.
After college, while serving as a clerk at Parks Air Force Base, she met Jack Kremers and they were married in 1958. Raising their two daughters while running an in-home daycare, she was involved in PTA and volunteered with Children’s Home Society. In 1977, the family relocated to Ripon where she worked as a bookkeeper at J.C. Penneys. Jack tragically passed away in 1986 and she moved to Manteca to live near her parents. In 1989, she married Larry Lund and moved to the Lund Ranch, a place she had loved as a teen when Larry’s sister Loretta and she were friends. Later, they retired to Knights Ferry, California where she was active in the Knights Ferry Garden and Community Clubs and they lived there until Larry’s passing in 2007.
Gayle was preceded in death by her parents and both of her husbands. She is survived by her daughters, Kerri (John) Visser and Kristi (Joe) Henriques, her grandchildren, Tiffany (Alex) Anderson and J.D. Visser, Jack, Katie and Joey Henriques, her great grandchildren, Casen, Aubrey and Cooper Anderson, her brother George (Brenda) and nephews Ron (Terri) and Frank (Sandy), her godchildren Cyrene Puccio and Tony Minichiello, and many extended family members and countless friends who will miss her dearly.
Her Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, March 3 at 1 p.m. at the Veterans Hall in Pleasanton, California. Burial will be private.
Memorial contributions in her honor can be made to The Museum on Main in Pleasanton (https://www.museumonmain.org/donate.html) or by buying a copy of “Cruising Down Memory Lane” for your personal library from Towne Center Books (townecenterbooks.com) which benefits the Amador Valley High School Journalism Department.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
The Riverbank (Calif.) News
Feb. 21, 2024
