Gale Vernon

Gale Bates Vernon, 75, of Frederick, Maryland, went to be with our Lord and Savior on Saturday, March 6, 2021.  She was the beloved wife of Dennis Vernon for the past 17 wonderful and adventurous years.

Born on November 2, 1945 in Philadelphia, PA, Gale was the daughter of the late Joseph and Edith (Bates) Blodgett and was preceded in death by her first husband, David Hofreiter Sr.  Gale is survived by her children: David Hofreiter Jr and his wife Heather of White House Station, New Jersey; her daughter, Debra Hofreiter (Germany); and three stepdaughters who all reside in Aiken, South Carolina: Cheryl Smith, Laurie Snipes and Michelle Godwin. Gale is also survived by 7 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; and, her sister, Barbara Haegele (Blodgett) of Tallahassee, Florida.  Gale will be greatly missed by all those that she touched during her lifetime as she was deeply devoted to her family and loved to spend time with them.

Gale retired as a micro-welder at RCA in Camden, New Jersey and performed work on various "black boxes" used by the U.S. Department of Defense.   After retirement, she loved to garden, grow vegetables and make home improvements.  Gale also loved to travel and take cruises, visiting many places in the United States, Europe, Alaska, and Central America.  Gale particularly enjoyed making Caribbean beach locations (i.e. Aruba, St. Thomas and British Virgin Islands) her frequent destinations of choice.

Although Gale was a woman who enjoyed being active in many organizations, she especially loved quilting which she basically learned herself and by watching other quilters.  She was a member of the Miss Bee Haven and the Cluster Spires Quilting Guilds.  She was especially proud of the quilt she created and won first place at the Frederick County Fair in 2010.   Other quilts she created were either given or auctioned off for a variety of charitable organizations such as the Alzheimer Association, the Frederick Masonic Temple (Columbia Lodge #58), and Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) bi-annual conventions (which she enjoyed attending with her husband). Gale was active with VVA, Chapter #304; the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), Chapter #409; and, the American Legion, Francis Scott Key Post 11.  Gale was also a member of the Frederick Christian Fellowship (FCF) church and also attended the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick, MD.

The family would like to verbalize appreciation to the dedicated doctors and nurses at Frederick Memorial Hospital for their professional services and making Gale as comfortable as possible during her difficult journey.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer's Association, 1850 York Road, Suite D, Timonium, MD 21093 or online by going to www.alz.org/maryland/donate.

Due to COVID-19, a celebration of life service will be held for Gale’s immediate family at Stauffer Funeral Home in Frederick MD on Friday, March 12, 2021 at 1:00PM. Pastor Kim Kesecker and Pastor Chris Hickle will officiate. You may watch the virtual service via livestream by clicking on link, https://vimeo.com/event/784128 .