Gale Lott Doherty

August 26, 1940 – April 19, 2020

Gale Lott Doherty, loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully at Kaiser Hospital in San Rafael, CA on April 19, 2020 from the effects of a catastrophic stroke. She is survived by her husband Laird (Larry), her three sons, Michael (Elizabeth), Jeffrey (Heather) and Steven, and four loving grandchildren, John, Tara, Finnegan and Aidan. She is also survived by her brother, Bryan (Margi) and 3 nieces and nephews. Gale was born on August 26, 1940 in St. Joseph, Missouri to Bryan and Arlyne Lott. She attended Central High School, Class of 1958 and then went on to Columbia, Missouri where she attended the University of Missouri, graduating in 1962 with a degree in Geography and a credential in secondary education. Following one year of graduate school, she decided on a whim to accompany her college roommate to San Francisco for the summer before returning to finish her degree. She liked the City so much that she decided to blow off the graduate degree and stay. She met Laird on October 11, 1963 at the Pierce Street Annex, a then popular watering hole in the Marina District, telling him her name was “Julie Chips”. Her cover was soon blown when her girlfriend came up with a beer and said “Here’s your beer Gale”. Hitting it off immediately, her relationship with Laird soon developed and flourished over the next several months. They became engaged on New Year’s Eve 1963 and married the following August. Their first home was in Sausalito. They moved to Parkmerced in San Francisco when the kids started to arrive, and then moved to Novato where they have lived since 1972.

Gale’s early years of marriage were spent raising three sons, serving as Den Mother to their Cub Scout Troops and Team Mother for their Little League and Babe Ruth Baseball Teams, and occasionally substitute teaching in the Novato School District. Once the kids were in high school, she decided to join the travel industry. Over the next 30+ years, she worked as a Travel Consultant for various agencies in Marin. Her last 25 years were spent at an agency in Tiburon, CA where she provided services to many clients and friends, helping them fulfill their travel dreams. During that time, she and Laird also enjoyed many cruises and trips to destinations throughout the world. She retired on December 31, 2019, hoping to enjoy many more years of travel in retirement. She and Laird were planning a one-month trip to France this coming May and June, which she disappointedly had to cancel due to the pandemic.

Along with her family, of which she was immensely proud, travel was a major part of Gale’s life. With her passing, she has now reached the destination of her final journey. We will miss her greatly, but she will remain forever in our hearts.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Doctors and Nurses at Kaiser San Rafael, and Kaiser Redwood City for their compassionate care and proactivity in keeping us informed of Gale’s condition, and for assisting us in her final hours. Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, a private, family-only memorial service has been held. A Celebration of Life will be planned for later in the summer when the restrictions have been lifted.

Donations in Gale’s memory may be made to either of her favorite charities, St Anne’s Home, 300 Lake St., San Francisco, CA 94118, or the Marin Humane Society, 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd., Novato, CA 94949.