Maria L. (Rockwell) Gale

Maria L. Gale On Friday morning, January 17, 2020, Maria was called home from Saint Anne’s Retirement Community, where she passed away peacefully from natural causes, fourteen days short of her 94th birthday.

Born in 1926 to Catherine and William Rockwell, Maria was the second of four siblings including Bill Rockwell and Jack Rockwell. She is survived now by her younger sister, Dot, Sister Angelica Marie Rockwell of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A native and longtime resident of West Philadelphia, many of Maria’s fondest memories included growing up in the tight-knit neighborhoods of the city’s Cobb’s Creek area, being a member of a large, extended urban family, and being part of a generation that witnessed and lived through so many life-altering social and technological changes. In October 1946, Maria married Frank J. Gale, newly returned home from service in World War Two and with whom she had regularly corresponded during his tours of duty. For 69 years, Maria and Frank enjoyed a rich and full life of mutual love and service to their families, their church, and their community. Their immediate family included five children, Robert Gale, Kathy Rogers, Anne Marie Frankenberger, Jeannie Mansfield, and Thomas Gale, six grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. In October 2015, Frank passed away at the age of 90. Along with her family members, Maria leaves behind many friends and members of the Saint Anne’s community with whom she shared her love of conversation, good humor, reading and life-long learning, and her ability to graciously and whole-heartedly engage and truly listen to everyone she met.

Raised in a time of strong community and religious traditions, Maria nonetheless embraced new ideas and social changes, often before it became popular to do so. She never seemed to be afraid to redefine herself and her personal goals. A housewife who raised five children, she also worked outside the home. She served for a time as executive secretary at the Union Club in the heart of Philadelphia. She returned to college to work toward a degree, generally earning high marks and not a little praise from her professors. Maria took home courses in drawing and painting, and studied writing through the Famous Writers School. She enjoyed a wide range of subjects and styles in her reading, and loved to discover new things and new ideas. Maria and Frank both worked in the lay ministry of the Catholic Church, becoming lectors, organizing liturgical materials, and teaching others the craft of public speaking in the service of spreading the Word. For several years, Maria wrote liturgical material for national publication by the Catholic Church out of Lansing, Michigan. Locally, she was active in preparing writings for special liturgical events, church celebrations, and daily worship services.

Throughout her life Maria enjoyed nature and the outdoors; she loved raising flowers, herbs, and succulents. While living in Springfield, she most enjoyed the home’s summer porch where she would regularly sit to enjoy the sights and sounds of late afternoons and evenings. At Saint Anne’s she loved to watch the trees outside her windows and constantly marveled at their changing personalities through the seasons. Of a generation raised well before television and computers, Maria embraced technology but more often preferred a present tense of conversation, prayer, and thought. Within that quiet and peace, Maria clearly heard her long awaited call, and ran lightly Home.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday Feb 1, 10:00AM, Saint Anne’s Retirement Community Chapel, 3952 Columbia Avenue, Columbia, PA. Burial private.

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