Gail was one of my closet friends until her untimely passing from breast cancer. The old fool doctor who had removed benign tumors on two previous occasions, decided the third lump was also benign so he didn't bother to remove it. Very wrong. 

Because our Surnames started with a "B" and a "C", she had the seat behind me in Mr. Addy's home room. We found a lot to laugh about. She had a querky wit and was always ready to share her excellent snacks. The Crickmay house on East 15th was a gathering place for many young people, including Gus Mitchell and John Ludgate. Gail and I car pooled to UBC together our first year often with Colin Neal, an excellent driver. In high school finals, Gail won the highest marks in the province for maths and physics. With her father's untimely death, Gail left UBC to support her mother and siblings. Her work in various laboratories gave her resources to eventually travel and explore the world. She loved the excitement and romance of living in London for several months, of discovering Europe, and eventually made it to India where my husband, baby son, and I met her at the airport in January 1968. She loved visiting various places and CUSO friends around the country. I have a stack of her letters in which there was always a few lines that evoked hearty laughter. After setting up house in Steveston she found its walls filled with that poisonous stuff they once used for insulation (formaldehyde). After having it removed and rehabilitated,  she sold it and bought another nearby. An animal lover, she actually named her big yellow cat, Garfield. Her extra interests included working for the Richmond Historical Society, Amnesty International and the Protection for Women and Children from Abuse and Cruelty. Gail liked odd ball people and was more open-minded than many. Her friendship made a great difference to my enjoyment of life and contributed to helping me laugh at myself as much as at anything.