Gail Swihart

1940 - 2025

Gail Gibbs Swihart, age 84, passed away in May of 2025, following a brief illness. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Gail Marie Gibbs was the eldest daughter of Edward Woodruff and Ruth Boylston "Pat" Gibbs. She spent her childhood in Billings, Montana where her father was a surgeon who practiced medicine at the Billings Clinic. She is survived by her two siblings: sister Leslie (Gibbs) and husband J. Frank Cable; brother, G. Geoffrey and wife Kathy Gibbs. She leaves behind niece and nephew: Coventry (spouse Mark) Boucher, Tory Cable, John (spouse Andrea) Cable and Tyler (spouse Julie) Gibbs. And her daughters' children with whom she had a close bond: Addison Barrett, Carson and Piper Fleece.

Gail excelled at sports as a young woman, particularly tennis. A graduate of Central Catholic High School (1958) in Billings, she went on to studies at Pomona College in California where her extracurricular time was as a soprano performing and traveling with the Glee Club. She married Lester D. Carter (also from Billings) as a young woman of twenty. After her youngest child started grade school, Gail wanted a career of her own making. And when divorce came, she worked tirelessly without complaint to pay the bills even if it meant a second job. Gail worked to retirement as an executive assistant for accounting and energy companies in downtown Seattle and Bellevue, Washington. She supported colleagues with finesse particularly as the computer replaced the typewriter and "carbon" copies. Gail proved herself "masterful" in the art of networking to the benefit of close friends and family.

Gail was a deep source of love and support for her three daughters: Karen Barrett, Laurie Carter and Stacey Fleece, whom she often referred to as, "my girls." An anchor against the storms of life, our mother was beautifully wise and strong. Gail preferred to live within sight of water and was graced as such. She rarely passed up an invitation to sail with neighbor brother and sister-in-law on Lake Washington and into the open waters of Puget Sound from Shilshole Marina in Seattle. Most memorable was a cruise to share the beauty of channel inlets off the coast of British Columbia with her widowed father, Dr. Gibbs of Billings, Montana.

She met her aviation expert husband, John M. Swihart, later in life. The two enjoyed a happy marriage filled with great companionship. Once a widow, Gail lived for a time in Carmel by the Sea. She returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2022 from the desert of Arizona to be closer to family. She happily resumed gardening and served as treasurer for her homeowners' board. Gail was surrounded by tall pines with a view of Puget Sound near the ferry docks of Mukilteo. She was relieved to be able to throw open windows to take in "fresh" marine air year-round. In her final weeks, it was the sound of waves that soothed her tired mind and spirit.

A descendant of pioneer Charles Plummer, Gail was interred at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle on June 18, 2025. In lieu of cards or flowers, the family requests you donate to the Sparkle Foundation in her memory. This charitable organization helps single mothers raise their children, even start their own business to make ends meet in the San Francisco region of California.