Gayle Zander

News Obituary Article

KENNESAW: Gayle Zander, 60, embraced chance to learn about world

By HOLLY CRENSHAW

When Gayle Zander's husband was offered a position in Paris, she wasn't sure how she felt about the move.

Growing up, her family constantly moved from state to state. By the time they finally settled in Kansas City, Mo., she had attended 13 grade schools.

"She had very mixed emotions when I approached her about the transfer to Paris because she really wanted to stay rooted," said her husband, retired airline executive Glenn Zander of Kennesaw.

"But Gayle had this incredible spirit of adventure, and the thought of living in France and making things work there excited her," he said. "So off we went, and, sure enough, she went to French language classes. She went to French cooking classes. She did everything to absorb herself into the culture."

Once bitten by the international travel bug, there was no going back for Mrs. Zander. In photograph after photograph, she's seen wandering through Greece, relaxing in Spain, boarding the Orient Express in London, visiting a floating market in Thailand or gliding in a boat across the lakes of Kashmir.

Mrs. Zander, 60, of Kennesaw died of bronchial carcinoid disease Sunday at WellStar Kennestone Hospital. Her body was cremated. The memorial service is at 11 a.m. today at Park Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery in Kansas City, Mo. Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Before she moved to Paris in 1975, Mrs. Zander worked as a registered nurse in operating rooms and intensive-care units. Back in Kansas City two years later, she earned a business degree from Avila University, aced her law school admission test and was contemplating a legal career when her husband landed a London job offer.

He left the decision up to her.

"It took no more than about 30 seconds for her to say, 'Let's go to England,' " he said.

For the next seven years, she packed in what she considered the best times of her life. She traveled throughout Europe, saw as much opera and musical theater as she could, sampled exotic cuisines and served as her husband's business sounding board.

"If Gayle had been running Enron, they'd still be in business," her husband said. "She had this unfailing belief in ethical behavior, gracious behavior, doing the right thing."

She and her husband spent 10 years in Honolulu, where he finished his airline career, which included stints with TWA and Aloha Airlines. In 2004 they settled in Kennesaw, where Mrs. Zander displayed the 18th century English furniture and Chinese export porcelain she'd collected on her travels.

And after living in France, her appreciation of fine dining was acute.

"If you were to look at a guide to the world's top 20 restaurants, she probably got me to take her to most of them," her husband said.

Twice before she underwent surgery, she dined at Seeger's the night before.

"She'd say, 'You never know how this is going to turn out, so I want to go to Seeger's,' " her husband said. "And she was devastated when it closed."

"As I was going through our photos from over 40 years, in every shot --- from the time she was 5 until our last picture of her --- she has this big smile on her face," her husband said. "She loved every moment of her life --- I mean, loved it. And because she did, she caused everyone around her to love it, too."

Survivors other than her husband include her son, Patrick Zander of Powder Springs; her mother, Helen Lively of Kansas City; her sisters, Angela Bianco of Flower Mound, Texas, and Janelle Lindshield of Overland Park, Kan.; and one grandson.

© 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution