CLARKSVILLE — Gaile (née Wood) Van Wie of Clarksville was a nurturing mother who helped run her husband’s dairy farm. A beautiful woman, she was named the Albany County Dairy Queen.

She “unexpectedly entered into God’s Holy presence on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, at St. Peter’s Hospice Inn, surrounded by her loving family,” her family wrote in a tribute. She was 81.

 She was born June 8, 1936 to Milo D. Wood and Mary Alice Richardson-Wood.

“Her life was tough. Her mother died when she was just 5,” said her daughter, Suzan Weber. “She overcame the loss and produced six children, a close-knit family; we support each other.”

Throughout her youth, Mrs. Van Wie lived in both Albany and Tully, New York, graduating from Tully Central School in 1954. After her mother died, she lived with her newly married sister, Beverly Newman. “They had a really special relationship,” said Mrs. Weber.

When her father remarried, Mrs. Van Wie “went back and forth” between their home in Albany and her sister’s home in Tully, a small town in Onondaga County in central New York. Her stepmother, Ellen Wood, was good to her, said Mrs. Weber.

She met the man who would be her husband, Charles Frederick Van Wie Jr., in the summer of 1953 while he was delivering milk.

“Charles fell in love with the girl in the pink sweater,” her family wrote.

“They would always tell us kids, ‘It’s the cardigan,’ and my dad would laugh,” said Mrs. Weber. “She was a very beautiful woman.”

They were married in October of 1954 and celebrated 62 anniversaries together.

Mrs. Van Wie was an active member of the New York State Farm Bureau and, as a new farm wife, was crowned Albany County Dairy Queen in 1957.

She took to farm life and eventually involved her children in the chores, said Mrs. Weber. “We would go with her to deliver milk to the camps. We put the milk in the back of the truck and dropped off all the little glass bottles,” her daughter said.

“She was a nurturer, a caretaker, a supporting and loving mother,” said Mrs. Weber. “She stood behind us.”

Her daughter went on, “A month ago, at the age of 56, I had a bad day and I just needed to talk to Mom. At 81, she’d say, ‘Let’s talk about it.’ She loved us unconditionally.”

Over the years, Mrs. Van Wie ran the business side of the dairy farm, her daughter said. “It was her whole life.”

In addition to her farm activities, Mrs. Van Wie loved learning about history, her personal family history and genealogy. “She could tell us so many stories,” said Mrs. Weber. “She investigated where we came from. She discovered German Palatines on Dad’s side.”

Mrs. Van Wie also liked collecting antiques and enjoyed various arts and crafts and could decorate a room beautifully. “If you walked in the farmhouse, you would feel the warmth,” said her daughter. “It was a very homey house...She welcomed everybody.”

“Gaile was a devout Christian and strived to honor God and live a life of faith and love,” her family wrote.

“She was very spiritual,” said her daughter. “She taught all of us about God’s love...In the hospital, we took shifts. We were all together and we prayed... I don’t know what I’ll do without her. She said, ‘You’re going to be OK.’”

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Gaile (née Wood) VanWie is survived by her husband, Charles Frederick Van Wie Jr. of Meadowbrook Farms Dairy, and by her six wonderful and loving children, Ruth Damp and her husband, Charles, of Lake Placid, Robin Manning and her husband, Michael, of Delmar, Charles Van Wie III and his wife, Lisa, of Clarksville, Suzan Weber and her husband, Frank, of Schoharie, Lisa Van Wie and her life companion, John Heiser, of Troy, and Mary Van Wie and her life companion, Paul Chiesa, of East Berne.

She is also survived by 10 beloved grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; and her devoted friends. She adored her cat, Kiki.

Her parents died before her, as did her loving stepmother, Ellen Wood; her sisters, Beverly Newman and Betty Phelps; and her brother, Milo D. Wood Jr.

Services will be held at the Clarksville Community Church, on Friday, Aug. 25, beginning with calling hours at 11 a.m. followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m. Burial will follow in Onesquethaw Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Onesquethaw Fire and Rescue Squad, Post Office Box E, Clarksville, NY 12041 or to the Clarksville Historical Society, Post Office Box 91, Clarksville, NY 12041.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer