Thomas "Tom" Gale

Tom Gale was a true "man for all seasons". From building cabinets and fixing cars, to surprising his lovely wife with roses on Valentine's Day, he appreciated the many things that make life so valuable. A loving brother, husband, father and grandfather, Tom Gale spent each day grabbing happiness in the passing moments of life. 1951 was a relatively quiet time in our country's history. Although tensions were high in Korea, the United States was welcoming home those who had served so bravely in World War II. In the rural community of Hillsdale, Michigan, Clifford and Juliamae (Hammond) Gale were not concerned with what was going on in the rest of the world. They were busy raising their daughter, Shirley and awaiting the birth of their second child. On a warm October 4, 1951, Thomas Duane Gale made his first appearance, to the delight of his parents and big sister. He later became big brother to Diana, Richie and Norm. Tom's father moved the family to Muskegon when Tom was a young boy in order to work at the local paper mill. Juliamae had her hands full caring for Tom and his brothers and sisters, especially young Tom. He had a bit of the bad boy in him and had earned himself a reputation as a scrapper. Like a whirlwind, he loved to stir up trouble, and if the trouble involved a fistfight, well, that made it even more enticing. Always on the lookout for ways to make money, Tom was quite creative in his business schemes. One such 'venture' was quite profitable. With a big wide world to see and conquer, Tom left school in the 10th grade. There was more to life than just sitting in a classroom. With money on his mind, Tom took a job with Progressive Oil. But his real talents lay in working with his hands, and young Tom was on his way when he accepted a position with Baker Furniture. A wonderful craftsman, his proudest accomplishments can still be seen at Mary Free Bed Hospital in Grand Rapids. All of the cabinetry in the rehab section, as well as those in the Shelby Bank, are a lasting testament to the skills and dedication of Tom Gale. But Tom's life was not all about work and making money. On a blind date set up by friends, Tom met a young lady named Peggy Goodman. Peggy had been married before, as had Tom, and she made it very clear that this was not to be a double date and there were to be no strings attached. She told Tom she would meet him at a certain bar, picked specifically because she knew where the back door was if things didn't work out. The back door was never used and two weeks later found the two of them at Tom's sister Shirley's house. When Peggy went to use the bathroom, she overheard Tom say, "This is the woman I'm going to marry". He wasted no time and on the way home in the car, he asked her what she was going to be doing the next 40 years of her life. Not quite sure what he meant, but sure of her feelings, Peggy replied with the sweetest words Tom had ever heard: "I'll give you not one less than 40 and hopefully many more." Six months later they were married, on March 7, 1992. Ever the romantic, Tom arranged for a large white stretch limo to drive them around after the wedding. He was showing off his beautiful new wife. From that day on, he was very protective of "My Peggy". Tom and Peggy were the perfect couple. While he worked as a furniture and cabinetmaker, Peggy worked at Meijer's. Tom always said he married her because she had "earning potential". Tom could build anything. The cabinets in their kitchen, the table and a set of bunk beds are just a few of items that that Tom handmade. He would often fix the things his sons-in-law "didn't fix quite right" or couldn't fix. He would even try to supervise projects that weren't even his, lending his knowledge for future repairs. Tom had many interests outside of carpentry. He loved to work on cars and was a certified brake mechanic. In the late 1980's he single handedly restored a 1960's Chevy truck to like-new condition. He especially enjoyed camping in Cadillac and in the Morley area in Mecosta. He considered himself a seasoned fisherman and the family joke was that he did the fishing and Peggy did all the cleaning. Many fish tales were told over the years and today a rose bush grows over the "would be" cleaned fish. Peggy knew from the limo ride that Tom was a romantic, but he outdid himself on their 8th Valentine's Day together. He surprised her by hiring a barbershop quartet, carrying seven roses (the eighth followed moments later), to serenade her at one of their favorite watering holes, "Mikes". He also loved to eat out, with Peggy by his side. He knew all the old and new restaurants in town and could tell you their best meals. Friends and family would often check with Tom before they went to a restaurant, to make sure it met with his approval. Many said he would have made a great food critic. It was also said that Tom would eat anything that didn't eat him first. However - his favorite place to be was anywhere there were tools - MAN TOOLS!!! Menard's, Home Depot, Lowes - Tom could spend hours just walking around the store. He once spent 6 hours walking through Menards. He didn't buy anything, just looked and researched in case there was something new he had missed. Peggy said he would break out in a sweat just driving by the place. He was "Tom-the tool man-Gale." Tom was first and foremost a family man and he loved his daughters, Jacklyn, Trisha, Denise and Wendy. He considered it an honor to give each one away at their wedding. It was an unspoken rule that his 'ladies' were to be treated with the proper respect or 'suffer the consequences'. One wedding highlight took place in St. Thomas. His daughter had gotten married while on a cruise and the entire family went on that trip. Along with those daughters, came enough grandchildren for a whole football team that Tom provided with an endless supply of love and candy. The babies of the family were Tom's Chihuahuas, Mr. Boo - a Chihuahua terrier - and Miss Scooter - a teacup Chihuahua. The car was equipped with car seats for the dogs and they rode in style in a pet stroller that was hooked to the back of Tom's bike. He even insisted on special steps so that Mr. Boo and Miss Scooter could get up on the bed at night. In 1999, Tom suffered a heart attack. Shortly after, he fell off a ladder from 15 feet in the air. He suffered a severe head injury to the left side of his brain and memory loss on the right side. Additional illnesses caused him to lose both of his legs. But Tom was not a man to sit and let life pass him by. He became known as "the gadget master" and "the grill king". Now homebound, he became addicted to infomercials on the TV. Many days Peggy would come home to find something new that Tom had ordered. She finally started taking the remote to work with her to put an end to the channel surfing and the gadget buying. Tom's last day was spent just like any other day - watching TV and laughing with Peggy. Mr. Thomas "Tom" D. Gale, age 55, of Muskegon, died Friday, December 1, 2006. He is survived by his wife, Peggy; daughter, Jacklyn Eistedt of Muskegon; 3 step-daughters, Trisha (Brian) Cooper of Twin Lake, Denise (Adam) Mitchell of Holton, Wendy (Russell) White of Twin Lake; 10 grandchildren, Ashley Eistedt, Taylor Cooper, Ryan, Wade Holman, Sadi, Avery & Clairissa White, Aubree & Garret Mitchell; 2 brothers, Richie (Sue) Gale of Muskegon, Norm (Cindy) Gale of Indiana; sister, Diana (Sam) Schalma of Muskegon; brother-in-law, Earl Palmer; Mr. Boo & Scooter. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Shirley Palmer. A memorial service will take place Monday, December 4 at 11:00 AM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home-Muskegon. Reception will follow at the American Legion in Holton. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.