Gayle Leroy Lund

Obituary Gayle Leroy Lund October 2, 1936 – May 5, 2020 Gayle Leroy Lund, 83, of Greybull, WY was welcomed into the arms of his Lord and Savior at 9:30 PM on Tuesday evening, May 5, 2020 at the South Big Horn County Hospital in Basin, WY. Gayle was born 1936 (post-depression/pre-WWII) on his grandparents' farm near Ansley, Nebraska to his loving parents, Oscar Edward and Naomi Laura (Samp) Lund. Soon after, they moved to Wyoming in 1941 where the landscape helped shape him into the cowboy, we all know and love. He was the third born of four children and was raised attending and participating in their local church community. This heritage sparked his love of Jesus and has been the source of his life-long Christian faith journey that he has openly shared with all his family members and friends. In 1954 he graduated from Morton High School in Morton, WY where he had been a competitive athlete on several team sports. He then went on to attend Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, ID, graduating with a BA in Elementary Education in 1958. Gayle wanted to become a teacher because of his love for kids, but he also liked the idea of being a full-time cowboy during the summers off. NNC is where he met his bride of 59 years, Patricia Ann Tolan. They married in her hometown of Bremerton, WA on September 7, 1957 and settled in nearby Poulsbo, WA where they raised their children and helped raise their grandchildren together. They had many happy years together celebrating life's ups and downs until her death in 2016. As a 'Jack of all trades', Gayle loved to work and never stopped. He had a full resume that was filled with various skills throughout his life. His unique work experience included being a farmer, ranch hand, roughneck, logger, combine operator, truck driver, amateur equestrian and livestock veterinarian, car salesman, case worker, and custodian. He also worked for the county and was a part of the Trident Nuclear Housing Project where he designed drain fields and tested soil for the Kitsap area population explosion in the 70's. Above all, Gayle was most widely known as the beloved school teacher – Mr. Lund at the Central Kitsap School District #401 in Washington State (he also taught/coached in Hudson, WY for 2 years) to total 30 years of educating before retiring in 1991. Gayle then went to work for Ace Paving Construction (Teamsters Local 589 Mbr) where he drove a dump truck and helped improve many of the country roads all over the Kitsap Peninsula for 9 years until 2001 before retiring a second time. We will remember Gayle for his larger than life personality, his infectious smile and his crushing handshake and bear hugs. He had a big heart by showing a genuine concern for others, could make instant friends and had a deep love for his family. He was a unique blend of stern old school tradition mixed with the wild untamed American Cowboy spirit. Gayle's final years were spent in Greybull, WY with his loving spouse, Dena (Decker) Thompson who cheerfully described their union as "two bookends". The two married March 9, 2019 and despite their short time, they had happy years together filled with smiles and laughter. She faithfully cared for him until his passing. Gayle was preceded in death by his parents: Oscar and Naomi Lund, brother Gary Lund and his first wife Patricia. Gayle is survived by his spouse, Dena (Thompson) Lund of Greybull; siblings: Allene (Howard) Miller of Nampa, ID, Marva (David) Yeend of Walla Walla, WA, Marilyn Lund (sister-in-law) of Kinnear, WY; his children: Mark (Janelle) Lund of Great Falls, MT, Shelly Young of Gainsville, FL, Staci (Homer) Jocson of Silverdale, WA; nine grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, May 16 at the Donald Ruhle Cemetery in Greybull, WY.