Gayle Wallace Henry

Canandaigua - Gayle (Smith) Wallace Henry, age 86, passed away peacefully, on Saturday, November 22, 2025, in the company of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her nurturing spirit, unwavering support and beautiful smile will live on with all who loved her.
Gayle was born June 22, 1939 in Amsterdam, N.Y. to the late Fred and Helen Smith. She grew up in Galway, N.Y. where she and her sisters Sandy and Helen made memories that will live long in the stories they shared. Her special place on Galway Lake will be cherished for generations to come.
She met Richard "Dick" Wallace at their first jobs with Moore Business Forms. They married in 1959 and had two daughters, Wendy and Susan. Gayle dedicated her life to being a wonderful mother. They relocated to the Rochester area in 1965, first to Fairport and then building their dreamhouse in the Victor Mendon area in 1975. Gayle was a Sunday school teacher, a scout leader and an active member of numerous community organizations.
Soon after throwing Gayle a fun-filled 50th surprise party, Dick succumbed to cancer in 1989. A few years later she met Fred Henry of Canandaigua and their love story continued for 24 years. They married in 1995 and shared a beautiful and loving life filled with travels to Italy, the national parks, Nova Scotia, hiking the Adirondacks, White Mountains and locally with the Rovers, skiing at Bristol Mountain and Mt. Tremblant and cycling throughout the Finger Lakes.
Gayle and Fred most loved hosting friends and family at their home on Canandaigua Lake. Gayle was a brilliant homemaker and crafter and was never without a project and friends who shared her passions. She produced beautiful hooked rugs with her "hooker" girlfriends. Nicknamed "Martha Stewart" by her family, her gardens and the many she volunteered to help with were picture perfect.
Gayle was predeceased by her husbands, the Hon. Frederic T. Henry Jr., her first husband, Richard Wallace, and her sisters, Sandra Roberts and Helen Miller. She is survived by her loving daughters and their husbands, Wendy and Tom Brooks and Susan and Brian Young; and grandchildren, Andrew Brooks (Alanna), Ellen Brooks Ianello (Mike), Grant Young and Connor Young; and great granddaughters, Diana and Margot Ianello; stepchildren, Frederic Henry III, William Henry and Janette Henry, her special confidant; step-grandchildren, Alison (Carly) and Andrew (Casey); beloved family members including her nieces and their spouses, Dawn and James Guay, Kristine and John Tommasone, Sandy and John Daunais and nephew Billy and Corinne Miller and their families; Gayle's many friends in Galway, Rochester and Canandaigua and her loving professional caregivers on the Pines at M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center in Canandaigua; and her dog, Bella.
A celebration of Gayle's life will be held in Galway in 2026. Always generous with her service and means, please consider helping those in need in Gayle's memory this holiday or in the new year. Arrangements are by Johnson-Kennedy Funeral Home, Inc., Canandaigua. Condolences may be offered at www.johnsonkennedy.com.