ELIZABETH KNAPP GAYLE

1921-2021

Elizabeth Gayle was born in 1921 to Carl Milham

Knapp and Anna Ricketts Knapp in Houston, Texas. She died peacefully on February 14, 2021, two weeks shy of her 100th birthday. She was a proud alumna of two Houston institutions: Lamar High School (Class of 1937, the first graduating class) and Rice Institute (Class of 1941). She told many stories about growing up during the Great Depression and being a young adult during World War II.

She was an avid supporter of the Rice Owls. She served faithfully for many years in the Junior League of Houston and The BlueBird Circle of Houston, volunteering frequently at the resale shop. She was a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston and attended the Tomball United Methodist Church after she moved to Tomball in her later years.

With her friendly personality, Lib had many lifelong friends, many of them Rice or Lamar High classmates. She enjoyed photography and making Creative Memories photo albums. She was an avid gardener and especially loved spending time with her grandchildren. She enjoyed watching Houston sports teams on TV. For many years, she traveled to Colorado every summer to escape the Texas heat with her late dear sister Carolyn Knapp Hohl. She is survived by her children Carolyn Gayle and husband Peter Riskind of Boston, DeWitt Gayle,III, and wife Belinda Gayle of Austin, Betsy Holweger and husband Michael Holweger of Denver and Cynthia White of Houston. She is survived by 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be designated to the Rice University for Scholarships, In Memory of Elizabeth Knapp Gayle, made online at giving. rice.edu or mailed to: Rice University, Attn: Ms. Bree Bridger, Office of Development, MS-81, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892