Gale died peacefully in Fort Pierce, Florida, with her husband and son by her side. She is survived by her husband Al Parmentier, her son John Fretwell, her brother Jack West, her sister Sheila Powell, her stepchildren Peter Parmentier and DeChantel Yates, her nieces Dianne West and Jocelynn July, and her six grandchildren.

Gale was born in Medford, MA, of the late Washington West and Martha Coulter West. She attended Francis C. Hammond High School in Alexandria, VA. She actively advocated for racial integration at her high school, despite facing criticism from many of her peers. While visiting relatives in Philadelphia, she and her brother attended American Bandstand, where Dick Clark invited them to perform a spotlight dance to showcase the differences in dance styles between Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

Gale was a graduate of The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where she received a B.A. in history and became a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She was a leader in that organization throughout her life.

After graduating from college, Gale worked as a programmer at AT&T. Following marriage to Jack Fretwell and the birth of her son, John, she taught at Londontowne Elementary School in Fairfax County, VA. In 1980, Gale moved to St. Mary's County, Maryland, and married Albert A. Parmentier, Jr., D.D.S. She worked as a programmer for the Information Management Department at Patuxant Naval Air Station. Both Gale and her husband were active sailors and raced their sailboat in many events sponsored by the Southern Maryland Sailing Association on Chesapeake Bay.

In 1998, Gale and Al boarded their sailboat and headed south for retirement and the Bahamas. After four years of sailing and living in an R.V., the couple settled in Fort Pierce, FL. Gale loved the traveling life, so they continued until 2013, making several circumnavigations of the U.S. and Canada, the purpose of which was to visit as many national parks as possible. They also travelled to Europe with friends and family.

In the early 2000s, Gale participated in two 50-mile walks to raise money for Breast Cancer research.

The couple joined the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach in 2003. Gale's passion for social justice motivated her to co-found a Fair Trade store in the UU building. She operated the store for 18 years, and it is still in operation.

Throughout her life, Gale's motto was: "The meaning of life is to make life meaningful."

A celebration of life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, 1590 27th Avenue, Vero Beach, Florida, on November 25, 2024, at 11AM.

Arrangements are under the direction of Cox-Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home.

An online guestbook is available at CoxGiffordSeawinds.com.