GALE OWEN MYERS JR.
November 21, 1944 - February 19, 2021
Gale Owen Myers Jr. (Scoop) of Bakersfield, CA. passed away February 19th, in Bangkok, Thailand at the age of 76.
Gale is predeceased by his parents Gale and Lorena Myers. He is survived by his son Mike (Amber) Girelli; his sister Susan (Brad) Rappleye; 3 nieces and 9 great nieces and nephews.
Gale came into this world November 21st, 1944 and was gifted a personality that drew people to him the rest of his life. From an early age, it was clear that he was independent, imaginative, funny, and always looking for new things to try and more places to go. His friends remember him as the most easy-going, open and genuinely curious person they’ve ever know. He was a fiercely loyal and considerate friend and was known to go out of his way to be inclusive. Gale was the instigator of adventure and it all started as a youth exploring the river beds of the Kern River.
At the age of 24, Gale made a solo hike to the summit of Mt. Whitney followed by a road trip to Alaska. On the North Slope he worked with survey crews laying out geophysical exploration grids. Texas Instrument sent him to Dallas for training in the original Circumpolar Satellite Navigation Systems. Further training in both radio-navigation and GPS lead to his three season appointment as navigator on an exploration vessel in the Beaufort Sea.
In Cowes on the Isle of White, England, he found “Cygnet”, a 26 ft. teak sloop. In the English Channel, with shipping lanes and boat traffic, he taught himself to sail. After rebuilding “Cygnet” he used the boat to explore the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, and Canary Islands. In November of 1979, he set sail from Grand Canary on a solo 33 day crossing of the Atlantic. “Cygnet” had no electrical or electronic devises, no radio and no fuel burning motor. Using a plastic sextant a TI digital watch and his extensive knowledge in navigation; He arrived in Barbados spot on course. After 25 years and 50,000 miles at sea, Gale took his nautical passion and expertise and founded the SeaStar Foundation in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. and quickly teamed up with various marine environmental studies groups. SeaStar provided necessary boats and logistical support for joint projects including studies of coral growth along the Florida barrier reefs and the predation patterns of the Great White shark in False Bay, South Africa. These projects were just a few of many that provided opportunity to work closely with institutions such as, the Pew Institute for Ocean Science at the University of Miami, Reefquest Center for Shark Research, The University of Miami Rosenstiel school of Marine and Atmospheric Science and Nova Southestern Marine Program, just to name a few. Today SeaStar remains active.
He lived a life from the snow covered tundra of Alaska to St. Lucia, running charters throughout the Caribbean. He came face to face with a Kodiak bear and was the lone caretaker for months on a small island dedicated to the research of bull sharks. He worked ski patrol in St. Moritz, earned a gemology certificate and even landed a small speaking part in the movie “Good Morning Vietnam.” Gale’s life read like a bestselling adventure novel! It was full of excitement, lived to the fullest and always on his own terms. Yet, with the same amount of love and enthusiasm he poured into life, he poured into his family and friends and always found his way back home. When Gale graduated from high school, his father wrote him a poetic letter. A lifetime later the excerpt below lends itself as fitting closure to a fully lived life, by a man who was loved very much.
“As well divide the distance to the star, or count the ripples on the sea. What matters when the measuring is through is not how long, how far, but where and what we are.”