Gale Girolami, of the Fox Run Senior Community, Novi, passed into eternal life on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at Henry Ford Hospital, West Bloomfield.  She was 94 years old.

Gale Girolami was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1929.  She graduated from Whitefish Bay High School, which is where she met her husband, Vic Girolami, who conveniently lived just a block and a half away.  She attended Downer women's college for a year and played field hockey. She was small, but mighty.

She married Vic at 19 and they were married for 63 years. Gale was the ultimate homemaker; a fantastic cook and pie maker, and made many of her children's clothes when they were young. She stayed at home to raise four children in Whitefish Bay while Vic traveled Sunday through Friday for his job. She was organized, a voracious reader, often reading three books at the same time and kept those four children in line.

Every few months, she went on vacation, which was a period of 24 hours while Vic was gone, where she would sit on a couch and read two or three books in the living room. We knew not to bother her during that time. Luckily there was always plenty of food in the refrigerator.

They then moved their family to Michigan in 1959 for Vic to take a new job as a salesman for Hytest safety shoes. In 1961 they started their own business, Michigan Industrial Shoe, with one truck converted to a Mobile shoe store. The family garage was the warehouse. Gale did the bookkeeping to ensure it was done properly. Then when Vic started storing cases of shoes in the living room, Gale put her foot down and said "Get those shoes out of my house and get a warehouse".  And then, in 1965 along came the bonus baby, Michael.

Gale's home was always a gathering place for her children and their friends, who were welcomed with open arms and always fed well. These friends were told they had "refrigerator privileges" and to help themselves, which they did. Gale always said they might have spent a fortune on food, but always knew where her children and their friends were.  Over the years, Gale welcomed several Brazilian exchange students into her home. Many became a lifelong part of our family, especially the Dias/Bezerra families and their children.

Through their hard work and dedication, the business grew and was passed down to a 2nd generation. Gale continued to manage the office and eventually took on a CFO role.

In her community, she did many hours of volunteer work. She was the president of the Farmington Women's Club, and a Campfire leader (though she hated camping). In 1995, she and Vic bought a 2nd home in Fort Myers, Florida. They had 25 years there developing close friendships and entertaining family and friends.

Our family would like to voice our deep appreciation to the wonderful caregivers who were with Gale for many years; Kristine, Lidia, Aurelia, Kerry, and Brittany RN. They brought love into Gale's life everyday.

Gale's greatest joy was her family, 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and now 6 great-grandchildren, who she could make howl with laughter with her humor and jokes. Gale was loved by anyone who knew her for her warmth, sense of humor and love for others. It is without a doubt," A Life Well Lived".

Surviving are four children, Gigi (Bob) Steel, Jayne (the late Gary) Hines, Tom Girolami, and Michael (Lisa) Girolami.  Sadly, in addition to her husband, Gale was preceded in death by a daughter, Linda (Anthony) Petty.

Also surviving are cherished grandchildren, Michael Steel, Joel (Tara) Langemaat, Andrea (Patrick) Nichols, Matthew (Ellen Roth) Girolami, Anthony (Emma Holland) Petty, Quynn (fiancée Katie Briggs) Petty, and Emma Gale Girolami; great-grandchildren, Landon and Sophia Langemaat, Ava, Gerrit and Wyatt Nichols, and Juniper Roth Girolami; and siblings, Don (the late Ginny) Reinertsen, Jr., and Holly (Fred) Brown.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Michigan Humane, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), or the Fox Run Scholarship Fund.

Family and close friends will gather for a celebration of Gale's life in the coming days.