Gail Irwin

Gail Louise Irwin, a gentle and fun soul to all who knew her, peacefully departed this world on March 7, 2025, at home in Perry, Oklahoma. Born on March 10, 1949, Gail lived a life of kindness, creativity, perseverance, and unwavering love of her family, no matter the challenges and obstacles.

A devoted mother, Gail embraced the role with a sweetness that charmed everyone. She is survived by her two sons: Whit Irwin and his wife Holly of Ledyard, CT, and Quinn Irwin and his wife Angie of Mannford, OK. She is survived by granddaughter Gretchen, whose smiles and giggles tickled her, each moment shared held close to her heart, and grandson Charlie. Her devotion extended to her sister, Judy Simpson of Sparks, NV, and her cousin Evie Toft of Fairfield, IA.

Gail’s working career was varied. She worked at a handful of doctors’ offices as an admin and at Ditch Witch in Human Resources, but by far, her favorite and most meaningful work was at Perry Memorial Hospital, where she retired as an LPN. Her vocation was more than a career; it was an extension of her nurturing and pragmatic nature, providing smiles, solace, and care to those around her.

Outside of her work and family roles, Gail found joy in the creative pleasures of life. She crocheted, threw and glazed pottery, and gardened, preferring growing flowers over vegetables. She also created beautiful jewelry, each item created with love and often shared with her closest friends, Denise Allen, Lynn Hodge, Carol Steichen, and Debbie Donaghue. A lover of stories, Gail also immersed herself in historical fiction.

Mentored by her parents, Kenneth Francis Klein and June Elizabeth Root Klein, Gail learned the values that anchored her throughout life. Although her husband Donald Irwin has passed on, his memories lived through the love they shared. The loss of her brother David Klein and grandson Conor Irwin are pains she carried, their love and memories forever entwined in her heart.

Later in life her furry roommates, cats Chatty and Callie, provided both comfort, when they were calm, and laughs, when they caused good-natured havoc in her home.

Surrounded by her loving family as she took her last breaths, Gail Louise Irwin’s life was a celebration of love, perseverance, and artistic expression. Through each act of kindness, every flower grown, all the clay she shaped, fired, and glazed, and every bead placed on a necklace or bracelet, she left an indelible mark on the lives of many. Her legacy lives on and reminds us all to embrace life with joy, a smile, and a quiet, sweet, and stubborn strength.

No services have been made at this time.