Gail L. Pickering

Gail Leslie Pickering, 87, passed away on August 13, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her long-time friend and professional partner in assistive technology for persons with disabilities, Diane Bristow, being present at her side.

Gail was proudly born and raised in Chatsworth, California to Alathea Mainprice Pickering and Elwood Pickering, on January 18, 1938. Gail was the youngest of two children, affectionately nicknamed by her family "The Princess." Both Gail and Robin Pickering, her beloved older sister, graduated from Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park, California. Gail's parents, sister, Robin, her beloved Auntie Grace Pickering and Uncle Leland Pickering, predeceased her.

Her parents encouraged Gail to pursue her first loves – singing, dancing, theatre, and drawing. After high school, in the summers of 1955 and 1956, Gail acted in summer stock theater, performing at the prestigious Windham Playhouse in Windham, New Hampshire. Opened in 1946 by "Chick" Everett Austin in the barn of the Lieutenant Joseph Smith farm, the playhouse closed over a decade later in 1957. In 1956, Mr. Austin stated, "We may be small but we are choice…For they come -- the oldsters who remember the stock companies of the cities, the youngsters who know only pictures and television -- and they tell us they like us. It is by such heartening knowledge, of course, that real success is measured. " Gail, a life-long devotee of the stage, adored her time at Windham Playhouse and during her time there made forever friends; Jon Vickers from Austin, Texas and Gladys Richards, who was the lead in all of the productions. Gail stayed at Barn Manor during her time at the Windham Playhouse, where she was fortunate to meet various stars, such as Angela Lansbury.

Gail attended the University of Hawaii where she received her bachelors in Speech Pathology in 1959. She was very active on campus and well known. She joined the theater group and participated on stage and back stage. At the University of Hawaii, Gail also met her beloved life-long college friend, Jade Sen, and participated in the school's Chinese sorority, YCH, even though she was not eligible to become a member. Always interested in other cultures, she stayed with Japanese families and Filipino families where she experienced and enjoyed their various foods. She also resided with Joyce Kamai, an Hawaiian Chinese student who took pleasure in cooking all of the meals which Gail thoroughly enjoyed. But, when the food was ready, the first thing Gail did was to reach for the salt shaker, her favorite condiment, throughout her life.. In their final year at school, Hawaii became a state and Gail's mother was photographed in the audience at the graduation which was featured in the National Geographic.

After graduating from the University of Hawaii, Gail served as a civilian in the 1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army for one year in Korea, where she entertained the troops. The 1st Team of the 1st Cavalry Division were stationed in the DMZ in Korea. At the end of her term, Gail returned to California by first traveling around the world by herself – a significant feat for a woman at that time. She was a true adventurer. Gail also had an ear for languages and would surprise people when she began speaking in the other person's native tongue, Korean, Japanese or Chinese after meeting them.

In the summer of 1960, Gail performed in a theatre program sponsored by Sally Ann Parsons' parents' home in Chatsworth, California. Sally Ann Parsons, a Tony Award winning costume designer and vice-president of the costume construction company Parsons-Meares Ltd, also had her roots at Canoga High School and was one of the young performers at Windham Playhouse, where Gail met her. Gail, with Jon Vickers and Sally Ann Parsons renewed their friendships from the days at Windam Playhouse for the Chatsworth production. The young performers were honored to have Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, who were then in their 70s at the time and lived nearby at their ranch in Chatsworth, attend every performance.

Once she was back in Los Angeles, Gail attended California State University, Los Angeles where she obtained her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. Although theatre was her first love, her uncle insisted that she pursue a profession that was stable after Gail's father passed away to assist her mother.

Gail worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District as a speech specialist before commencing work as a speech language pathologist at Northridge Hospital Medical Center where she started the swallowing program. She then went on to start the I-CAN program at Northridge Hospital to evaluate and develop augmentative forms of communication for the severely speech impaired. Her final career position was as the assistive technology specialist in the lab for students with disabilities at California State University, Northridge. There, among the students that she befriended and assisted, was Fran Goldman, a legally blind student who Gail greatly encouraged and assisted in the pursuit of her master's degree. They became life-long friends.

After CSUN, Gail retired and enjoyed further traveling, including attending the World Figure Skating Championships where she met Denise Rover and her mother Dolores in Vancouver in 2001. Denise and her mother became dear friends. Denise was always available for a Broadway show or two when visiting New York, after Gail moved to Baltimore.

In Baltimore, Gail became a board member of Forward Visions, Inc., an organization that serves developmentally disabled adults in reaching their optimal potential and by providing group homes and assistance in daily life activities. She remained on the board for over fifteen years.

Gail was a survivor. She survived breast cancer in 1989, a cerebral bleed circa 1991, ovarian cancer around 2010, and two small strokes. In her last four years, she fought hard to pursue life. She was predominately and lovingly cared for by Bridget Harris, her aide from Avila and Diane. She was most fortunate to have her friend and hairdresser, Gloria Pease, come to the home to cut and style her hair every six weeks once she was confined mostly to bed.

She is survived by her friends, Diane Bristow, Jon Vickers, Jade Sen, Fran Goldman, Denise Rover, Gloria Pease, Laura Bristow, Donna Templeton and Deborah Thompson, and her adopted nieces and nephews who fondly called her Auntie Gail, including, James Dennis Templeton, Amy Crystal McCarthy, David Charles Thompson, and Cassandra Marie Bristow; and great-nieces and nephews, Rebecca Lynn McCarthy, John Edward McCarthy, Jordyn Nicole Picard, Robert David Thompson, Abigail Katherine Thompson, and Sadie Elizabeth Thompson.

Gail's whimsical humor and dear effervescence will be greatly missed. Her adventure-filled life will be celebrated by all of her friends and family in Baltimore, New Castle, Los Angeles, New York and Honolulu.