Gale Eugene Mcdaniel

The family of Gale Eugene McDaniel mourns the loss of a valiant and honorable man. Although he may not have been large in stature, Gale was a giant in so many ways to those whom he loved and who loved him. He led a life of honesty, integrity, compassion, faithfulness, hard work and devotion to family and friends. He will be greatly missed by all who were privileged to know him. Gale Eugene McDaniel was born Dec. 15, 1932, in Bird City, Kansas to Cyrus T. McDaniel and Nellie S. Austin McDaniel. He joined a growing blended family consisting of siblings Denny, Virginia, Victor, Marvel, Aileen, Lindsey, Vivian and Shannon. Shirley joined the family while they were still in Kansas. In the late 30's or early 40's his family moved from Kansas to Idaho and then on to Oregon, settling in the Grande Ronde Valley, where brothers, Pat and baby Ty, who died in infancy, were born. His dad worked in the farming community and was severely injured in a farming accident that ultimately took his life. Nellie then raised the children alone. Following his graduation from high school in Imbler, Oregon, he joined the Navy, where he was a boatswain mate aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Essex. He received an honorable discharge in 1955. On a sunny afternoon, shortly after returning home from military duty, he and his younger brother Pat were out cruising in Elgin, Oregon, where they spied a young lass sitting on her front porch. They stopped and chatted and Gale made a date with the girl, Loretta Lyon, who later was to become his wife. That union was blessed with three children, Larry, Peggy Sue and Kevin. Gale worked extremely hard over the years, providing for his family. He worked at a variety of jobs such as city fireman, state highway construction, county rock crusher attendant, snow plow operator and county weed control supervisor. He was also involved in his community, serving as mayor of Cove, Oregon, in the 70's, a job he took seriously and was committed to. Shortly thereafter, he moved to the Tri-Cities where Gale and his two brothers, Pat and Shannon, formed a company that provided services laying underground pipe for sewer and water systems in the Tri-Cities area and beyond. In the 90's he went to work in a machine shop where he worked until retirement. Gale had a brilliant mind and was able to build just about anything he could conceive. If anyone in the family needed something fixed he was the go-to guy. His family greatly benefited from all his interesting creations and inventions. He holds a US Patent on a Convertible Vehicle Step. Following his retirement Gale, Loretta and their little dog, Shadow, spent several winters in Arizona. They both thoroughly enjoyed their time parked along the Colorado River, meeting new people, making friends and taking long walks in the beautiful mountains collecting rocks and taking pictures. Their trips to Arizona ended abruptly following the winter of 2002-3 when he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. Gale passed away August 29, 2009 at home surrounded by his loved ones. Gale is survived by his wife of 53 years, Loretta, his son Larry McDaniel and grandchildren Kjell and Kirsti McDaniel, daughter Peggy Sue Ridings, her husband Ron Ridings and granddaughter Nicole Ridings, and his son Kevin McDaniel, his wife Mary, and grandchildren Colin, Carly, Alec (Cassie) and Conor, and great-granddaughter, Makenzie, who was greatly adored by her "Bapa." He is also survived by his brothers Shannon and Pat and his sisters Marvel, Aileen, Vivian and Shirley, his mother-in-law Margaret Lyon, as well as many other beloved family members. The most important thing in life to Gale was his family and we will miss him always, but as he admonished us all, "You gotta buck up!" Memorial services will be held on Friday, September 11th, 2009, 1:00pm, at South Hills Church located at 3700 W. 27th Avenue in Kennewick. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Gale's memory to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 1332 North Halsted Street Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60642-2642.