Stories
About Mary Alice Amelia (Ward) Gale
- Story from Mary's Find-a-Grave Memorial
"Mary Alice Amelia WARD was born July 2, 1920 in Brookings, SD, one of five children born to James "Earl" WARD and Daisy Amellia ELSTON. She was an athletic young lady but later during her marriage she had a stroke and suffered with a weak heart. She died July 14, 1960 of massive coronary at age 39 in Franklin, Pennsylvania while she and her husband were on a tour for their American Indian ministry. Two of her siblings died in infancy in Brookings:- James Robert WARD died 26 Mar. 1920 and Carrol WARD (female) died 28 Nov. 1921. Her sister Mrs. Dale Julian (Kathleen Elanora) HEATH died March 14, 2003 in Warsaw, Kosciusko county, Indiana. Her brother, Laurel "Jack" WARD, a US Airforce veteran, died October 26, 1982 in Highpoint, Guilford co, North Carolina at age 60. Mary Alice and her sister, Kathleen were raised in Bushnell, SD as foster children by George and Stella ROBBINS, where she excelled as a student. ROBBINS son, Professor George ROBBINS was the principal at Tabor Bible School in Tabor, Iowa where Mary Alice became a student and met William Duane GALE who she married Dec. 19, 1940 in Tabor, Fremont county, Iowa. William GALE became a minister and missionary. Their first pastorate was in Niobrara, Nebraska. She and Rev. GALE had a son, Robert Austin GALE who died there in infancy; [another child] and a son David Duane; an adopted son Donald James GALE who died Jan. 25, 1986 [sic, Donald was born on 25 Jan; he died on 22 Oct] in California; and [another adopted child]."