NORWICH – David C. Gale, 60, life-long Norwich resident, passed away late Sunday afternoon, April 19, 2009, in St. Joseph’s Hospital of Syracuse.
The son of David O. and Frances Natoli Gale, David was born in April of 1949. Raised in Norwich and a 1968 graduate of Norwich High School, he was a well-known and involved city resident. Following high school graduation, David attended SUNY Morrisville where he earned his two year liberal arts degree, then continued his education with Empire State’s on-line program and earned his degree in Social Justice. David then began his long career as an employee of the City of Norwich, working mostly for the City of Norwich Police Department as both an officer and the dog warden, retiring in 1986. A member of the Norwich Fire Department, a life member of the George Rider Hook and Ladder Co., and a member of the Norwich Emergency Squad, David had received numerous awards from the Norwich Fire Dept., including a Lifetime Achievement Award and Fireman of the Year. He had also received countless community service awards, taught the BOCES driver education program, was director of the Drinking Driving Rehab, and held a New York State private investigator’s license. David had formerly worked for the Chenango County Sheriff’s Department and as a security guard for the County Office Building. He was a charter member and one of the originators of the Roots and Wings Program in Norwich, a director of social concerns at Catholic Charities, and a long-time member of St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church as well as the Knights of Columbus. Very interested in antiques, David and his wife ran their own business out of their home and for a while operated Gale’s Galleries north of Norwich. At one period in his life, he delivered the mail in Greene.
David and his wife, the former Donna Ostrander, were married in Norwich on July 29, 1989.
David is survived by his mother, Frances Hickling of Oxford; his wife, Donna Gale of Norwich; children: Shawn Houck and companion Veronica of Norwich, Terry Houck and wife Christi of Mt. Vision, Deanne Burton of Endicott, Eric Coulter of Norwich, Jason Coulter and fiancee Lori of New Orleans, and Sunrise Coulter and fiancee Martha of Bend, Ore. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Nicholas, Cameron, Alexa, Skye, Jenny, Terissa, Jared, Joshua David, and Matthew; his sisters, Jody Storrin and husband Ron of Norwich and Barb Lacy and husband Mark of Cincinnati, Ohio; his brothers: Larry Gale of Norwich, Jim Hickling and companion Diana Lynn of Norwich, and Tom Hickling of Smithfield, N.C.; and his uncle Charles Townsend and wife Barb of Mt. Upton. Former daughters-in-law, Tammy Hall of Norwich and Norma Garcia of New Orleans, nieces, nephew, and cousins, and extra special family friend Dottie VanVliet of Norwich also survive. David was predeceased by his father, David O. Gale, and his step-father, Richard Hickling.
A Mass of Christian Burial for David will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday from St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church. Interment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Friends are invited to call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
David’s family asks that memorial contributions be sent to Sarah House, 100 Roberts Ave., Suite 10, Syracuse, NY 13207.