Gale Walker Melton

1959 - 2024

Gale Walker Melton
March 12, 1959 - January 5, 2024
Not too many people can make the biggest splash at a party by arriving as a dead clown wrapped in a fake-blood spattered shower curtain, falling to the entry floor when the hosts opened the door. Not too many people can make a dress, draw perfect architectural renderings, learn a language, wrangle a campground, ride a horse, cook anything, make amazing ribs for 50, design interiors and see them through to finished product for happy clients, read countless books, know the answer to everything (24-hour Jeopardy style), never gets mad, can use a glue gun, a heat gun, a nail gun, install windows, lay bricks, get two very different people to agree on paint colors, and raise a son. It's an amazing combination.
It's not often someone is a combination of Eeyore, Mr. Spock, and Scout (from To Kill A Mockingbird)- and is the upbeat version of them. It's a beautiful mind that remains curious about the world, has a sharp eye for obscure details, has a light soul, a delicious sense of humor, a sharp wit, loves people who are obsessive about their craft, doesn't require things from friends, and yet is a stalwart, kind and dependable one.
Gale Melton was all of these and possessed a gorgeous velvet tone of voice with a countenance that always seemed a little bemused and observant. She never raised her voice in argument nor made people angry, except the time she ran her husband's prized western shirt in the dryer and it shrank about two sizes. So, they cut the sleeves short. Having an argument with her was an impossible effort. It just wasn't going to happen. It was phenomenal.
Born in Chicago in 1959, Gale grew up in Tuscon, Ariz., Vancouver B.C., and, most of all, Santa Fe, N.M. Their home on Rodeo Rd., a rambling adobe structure, included a horse and a lot of running around barefoot. Her father, Mark was a geologist and dabbler in all crafts, and her mother, Sara a real estate agent and tireless defender of the classic adobe homes and culture of Santa Fe. She learned from her father that you can do or make just about anything if you put your mind to it, which included learning to make adobe bricks to make repairs when she was eight. From her mother, she learned the appreciation of the finer details of homes and the quality of life because of your surroundings. And she learned about the artistic temperament from the stream of Santa Fe artists that her mother brought to the home. She loved the high desert. The family (with her two sisters) spent many summers camping all over the Southwest.
Gale attended American University of Paris, studying Art History, and then finished her BFA at Dominican College in San Rafael, Calif., and made lifelong friends while there. Great, crazy, insanely interesting friends who have stayed in touch all these years. She immersed herself in all things artistic and historical. She moved to San Francisco in the late '70s, bought her Vespa, jumped into the New Wave and Punk scene with great spirit and did some effective college de-programming: a must if you plan to be creative and actually enjoy life.
Gale met her husband, musician Erik Walker, while taking piano lessons in 1986. They hit it off, often talking for the entire lesson until they just gave up the lessons thing and went to lunch. They married in 1992, and were together for the next 37 years, until her untimely demise.
Gale gave birth to her son, William, on October 25, 1995; most undoubtedly her greatest source of joy and love out of all the things she ever did. There was never a more dedicated mother- and she perfected the art of not helicoptering at the same time.
She gained her accreditation in Interior Design through the UC Berkeley Extension in San Francisco, worked at Osburn Design as an assistant, and then started Gale Melton Design in 2000. Hundreds of homes in San Francisco and the Bay Area have Gale's touch and keen eye for detail on them. All who worked with her- clients, craftsmen and women, artisans, contractors- loved knowing they were working with Gale, who always ensured things would go smoothly, with her even temperament, kindness, and sharp wit. Her acumen for calming frantic clients was well known. After all, there is no such thing as an argument.
Gale was a valued and dedicated member of Artistic License, a guild of artisans dedicated to educating the public and its members about historic architectural restoration and newly-interpreted period design. She was president of the guild at the time of her death.
In 2021, Gale had a melanoma lesion removed from her foot. In August of 2023, the melanoma returned and had metastasized and spread throughout her body, to her brain and spine; the fight was brief. She died peacefully in San Francisco on January 5, 2024, with her husband, Erik and son, William at her side.
She was a master at making everyday life seem so very worthwhile. She will be sorely missed.
She is survived by her husband, Erik; son, William Walker; sister, Mara Melton; nephews, Christopher Gaulding and Matthew Melton; extended family and countless loving friends.
A Memorial will be held on Saturday, February 17th, at the Berkeley Hillside Club, 2-5 p.m.
All are welcome.
Donations can be made in Gale's name to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU or Dominican University of California.