Avid reader who also loved the theater
Published in the April 25, 2018 edition
LYNNFIELD — Gail P. Courtney, 82, a longtime Lynnfield resident, died Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers.
Born in Holyoke on August 10, 1935, she was the daughter of the late Carl E. and Anastasia (Hall) Moakler.
Gail was raised in Springfield and was a graduate of Commerce High School. Shortly after, she moved to the West Coast where she married her first husband, the late Harry Leonard. They began their family in Portland, Oregon, and also made their home in Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose. After the loss of her husband, Gail moved back to the East Coast to be closer to family. She would later marry the late John Paul Courtney of Holyoke and they would make their home in Lynnfield.
She was a member of Our Lady of Assumption Church and participated in their bowling league. She was also an avid reader and spent much time at the Lynnfield Public Library. Gail enjoyed the theater and was a member of the Huntington Theater. She also volunteered much of her time at the gift shop at the Lynn Union Hospital. In her retirement years, she also enjoyed traveling with her family.
She was the beloved wife of the late Harry Leonard and John Paul Courtney. She was the loving mother of Thomas S. Leonard and his wife Marie of Hopkinton; Patrick D. Leonard and his wife Ellen of Dorchester; Daniel J. Leonard of Charlestown; Brenda L. White and her late husband Douglas of Boston, formerly of Concord; Mary C. Tuttle and her husband Mark of Salem; and Nora C. Landry and her husband Kevin of Charlotte, North Carolina. She was the sister of Edward Moakler and his wife Kathleen of Poughkeepsie, New York; Robert Moakler and his wife Judy of Plymouth; and John Moakler and his late wife Dottie of Dennis. She is also survived by her seven grandchildren: Jake White, Catherine Leonard, Greta White, Brian Leonard, Christine Leonard, Lucy Tuttle and Charlie Tuttle.
Her funeral Mass was celebrated in Our Lady of Assumption Church on Monday. Arrangements were in the care of the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Gail’s name be made to Friends of the Lynnfield Library, 18 Summer St., Lynnfield, MA 01940.
