Gayle BURNS

1938 - 2012  (73 years)

• Name	Gayle BURNS
  Birth	2 Sep 1938	Redford Twp, Wayne County, Michigan
  Gender	Female
  Death	19 May 2012	Contra Costa County, California
  Burial	Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Lafayette, Contra Costa County, California
  Notes	George N. Bentley High School, Livonia, Michigan, class of 1955. Gayle B. Uilkema Resident of Lafayette In the early morning hours of May 19, 2012, Gayle finally found peace after a valiant fight against ovarian cancer. Gayle was born and raised in Detroit, MI. At the age of 16, on a full scholarship, Gayle attended the University of Michigan and became active in the Student Union and in her sorority, Phi Mu. After a brief residence in Washington D.C., Gayle came to California in the early 1960's and moved to Oakland, CA, where she taught typing and shorthand at Oakland Technical High School. As Mrs. Gayle Uilkema, she was a business education teacher at Oakland High School in 1963. In the mid-1960's, Gayle moved to Contra Costa County, first residing in Moraga, having her daughter Lynn, and becoming active in AAUW. In the early 1970's Gayle had her daughter Sharon and soon thereafter moved to her dream home in Lafayette, where she lived ever since. Dedicated mother that she was, Gayle became active on the Lafayette Park and Recreation Commission in an effort to establish local activities for her children. This served as a launch pad for her ultimate calling: local politics. Gayle's passion and dedication to the community was reflected in her years of public service, which included nineteen years on the Lafayette City Council and 4 terms as Mayor of Lafayette. While serving on the Lafayette City Council, Gayle also obtained a Masters in Public Administration from Cal State Hayward, and ultimately taught the same subject at UC Berkeley Extension, Cal State East Bay and JFK University. She was later elected to four terms on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, providing dedicated representation to District 2. Gayle loved Lafayette and Contra Costa County, and found great joy and fulfillment in serving her community. She remained dedicated to Contra Costa County until the end, working diligently from her home even as her disease progressed. A devout Catholic, Gayle served as one of the first female lectors in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was ordained as a lay minister at Saint Monica's in Moraga and later at Saint Perpetua's in Lafayette. In her rare spare time, Gayle loved working in her garden and completing household projects at her beloved home in Lafayette. Gayle is survived by her daughters Lynn and Sharon, and her grandchildren Natalie, Nicholas and Henry, her sons-in-law Damien and Curtiss, and her brother Larry.
  Person ID	I31292	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	20 Sep 2024

  
  

  Father	Joseph A BURNS,   b. 11 Jul 1907, Minto, Walsh County, North Dakota d. 13 Feb 1977, Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida (Age 69 years)
  Mother	Pearl Rose RASMUSSEN,   b. 17 Jan 1912, River Rouge, Wayne County, Michigan d. 26 Oct 1971, Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida (Age 59 years)
  Marriage	22 Nov 1934	Wayne County, Michigan
  Family ID	F6334	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	UILKEMA
  Divorce	Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F21671	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2022