Gail Madelyn Mahoney

Gail was born on June 27, 1948, at Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois. Her full name at birth was Gail Madelyn Christensen. She resided in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with her parents, Mabel and Arne, and older brother, John.

The schools Gail attended were Forest Glen Elementary, Churchill Junior High, Glenbard West High School, and Iowa State University. Gail earned her teaching certificate and worked over the years as a substitute teacher.

While at Iowa State, she met a guy named Mel, who had a car and an apartment, which made her mother VERY nervous! Gail and Mel were married the following year and later moved to Indianapolis.

Gail soon gave birth to their son, Jeff. Jeff gave them many wonderful times, and also kept them on their toes. Jeff was a very active little boy and often hurt himself to the point of needing stitches. It was for this reason that they waited five years before having their daughter, Amy. Gail chose the name Amy because she had always dreamed of giving that name to her daughter.

While Gail was pregnant with Amy, she and Mel built a house and moved to Lombard, Illinois. Mel and Gail divorced a few years later, and Gail remained in their Lombard home with their young children.

Gail was a devoted mother and, even as a single mother for many years, spent a great deal of time with Jeff and Amy. When the children were young, Gail always was at home when they returned from school. She was the leader of Amy’s Girl Scout troop for many years, attended all of Amy’s and Jeff’s sports practices and games, and constantly flooded them with love and affection.

She loved to take walks with her children and hear them tell her stories of their day. She also loved to sit on the porch, watch the sun set, and sing songs with them. At night, she would always tuck in Jeff and Amy, taking time to read to them or give them a back rub. During Amy’s high school years, when most of Amy’s friends weren’t getting along with their mothers, Amy told people her mother was her best friend.

Gail had many talents, including playing the piano, sewing, drawing, and handicrafts. She made doll clothes and sewed clothes for Amy, made macramé, and knitted. Amy still has a Cabbage Patch-type doll Gail made for her by hand.

Gail fell in love and married a wonderful man, Robert Mahoney, who was Jeff’s baseball coach. They were married almost 19 years. Together, they had many wonderful times and went on many vacations. They traveled to Hawaii, Australia and, Gail’s favorite destination, Florida. She enjoyed being anywhere near the ocean, and she and Robert went on several cruises.

Gail was able to see both Jeff and Amy get married. However, she passed away before her first granddaughter, Peyton, was born. Peyton was born exactly seven months to the day after Gail’s death and is, therefore, called the “Little Angel” of the family.

She passed away at age 50 in Boynton Beach, Florida, on June 12, 1999. Gail’s immediate family included her husband, Robert Mahoney; her son, Jeff (Aimee) Schabilion; her daughter, Amy (Frank) Nitsche; her granddaughter, Peyton Schabilion; her mother Mabel Christensen; her brother, John Christensen; and her aunt and uncle, Bruce and Polly Craig.

Gail will be remembered for her warm, friendly, open personality. She was loved very much by all her family and friends, and her memory will live on forever in all of them.