Gail Hanegraaf

Gail M. Hanegraaf, age 76, Darboy USA, transferred her address to “Heaven” to be with our Lord the morning of September 18, 2014. Mom was born on July 26, 1938, to Carl and Irene (Kienast) Gutsmeidl. Mom began her nursing career at the age of 21, as an LPN. Mom met Dad, “The love of her life”, at the age of 22, and went on to marry him in 1961. Mom worked part-time at the family Drive-In during her early married years, while raising a young family. Shortly thereafter, Mom plunged into full-time homemaker that began her life-long career in taking care of her family's every need. Throughout our Mother's life, empathy and compassion were what defined her; she was a wonderful wife and mother. Mom had a great love and was very selfless in caring for our family. She adored Christmas and the act of giving. She celebrated every special occasion by her attention to personal details. Mom did not just give a gift; she received joy from the reaction of the person receiving it. Her giving was a gift to herself, by giving to others. Besides our family, Mom had a passion for ceramic doll making and gardening. Her artistic ability truly shined through her award-winning dolls. Mom was a fantastic cook; she was incredibly creative and put her heart into every meal.
No matter what was going on in our family's lives, Mom was always there to support us 100 percent. Whether it be racing, sports, birth or marriage, regardless of the situation; our Mom was always there and loved us unconditionally. Mom never wavered in supporting us.
She was very active with Holy Angels Catholic Church, and had a strong faith in our Lord; her actions portrayed her devotion to the Lord, which instilled in her children a strong Christian foundation.
She is survived by a daughter, Melissa (Gerry) of Seymour, and their three children Eli, Taylor and Jacklyn; her three sons; Stewart (Tasha) of Greenville, and two children Ashley and Rachael; Peter (Wendi) of Crete, Illinois, and their five children, Chloe, Silas, Levi, Jude and Caleb; Kevin (Vicki) of Greenville, their twin son's Kade and Kyle. She is also survived by her two siblings: Doug (Vicki) Gutsmeidl; Linda (Ken) Johnson.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 53 years, John C. Hanegraaf; her parents: Carl and Irene Gutsmeidl; siblings: Gary Gutsmeidl and Inez Kloiber.

The memorial mass for Gail will be held at 12:00 PM on Monday, September 22, 2014 at ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH (312 S. State St., Appleton). Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until the time of service.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to ThedaCare at Home Hospice and all of you, “you know who you are”, who have helped Mom in recent years.