Gale LaMae (Salter) Strait

July 25, 1940 - July 25, 2009

Gale LaMae (Salter) Strait Obituary On July 25, 2009, Gale LaMae (Salter) Strait peacefully passed away at the Hospice House of Spokane. She began her life 69 years earlier to the very day when she was born in Spokane on July 25, 1940 to Robert Henry Salter and Viola Mae (Stewart) Salter. She spent her early years in Seattle until, at the age of 14, she and her family moved overseas. Gale lived in Casa Blanca, Morocco, Livorno, Italy and Munich, Germany. She continued her worldly travels until she returned to the United States to attend college in Cheney, WA. There she met Carty L. Strait, the man that, beyond measure, became her devoted husband for the next 44 years. After graduating from college, Gale taught third grade for the Spokane School District from 1964 to 1967. In 1967, she became a full time mother raising her two sons, Lee and Chris Strait. Later in life, she resumed teaching junior high for the Liberty School District in Spangle, WA until she retired in 1986. Gale was well known for her abundant artistic abilities as an accomplished pianist, painter, and storyteller. She spent tireless hours sharing her abilities and taught numerous others to play the piano in her home in Fairfield, WA. Gale was also accomplished in dog showing with a champion Basenji to her credit. But Gale was best known for her unwavering ability to find the good in all that she met. Gale was an eternal optimist in the most beautiful sense of the word. She made those around her better people in her own quiet way. Gale was tenderness, humor, and strength personified. Never has a more beautiful human traveled this planet. We will all miss her more than words can express. Gale is survived by her husband Carty L. Strait of Spokane, WA; her two sons, Lee (Arista) Strait of Spokane, WA and Chris (Kim) Strait of Killeen , TX; three grandchildren, Payton, Conner, and Caitlin Strait; and her two brothers, Rob (Cheryl) Salter of Wenatchee, WA, and Thom (Jodi) Salter of Oscoda, MI. She is also survived by two aunts, Joyce (Barry) Parker of Scottsdale, AZ and Ruth Stewart of Hayden, ID as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. There will be a memorial service held on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 2 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations on behalf of Gale Strait to the Hospice House of Spokane.