┌── Isaac Green Hanshaw
│ 1868-1946
┌── Hugh Donald Hanshaw ────────┤
│ 1904-1989 │
│ └── Clara Birdella Ober
│ 1882-1970
Gail Hanshaw ───────────┤
B: 1934 │
D: 2016 │
└── Gladys Obertine Wainright
1904-1995
M: James F. Parker, Jr.
M: Robert Lopez
| Gail Hanshaw [ID 20489] | Click here to switch to Ahnentafel view:  |
Born Oct 27 1934, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.1
She married James F. Parker, Jr.1
Children:1
She then married Robert Lopez.1
Gail Hanshaw died Sep 2 2016, at her home, Peralta, New Mexico.1
Gail's obituary was published in the "Albuquerque Journal" (Albuquerque, New Mexico) on September 15-21, 2016:1
Parker, Gail Hanshaw On September 2, 2016, after a valiant fight with COPD, Gail Parker passed away peacefully, on her own terms, at her home in Peralta, NM, surrounded by loved ones. She took her last breath with Dasher, her precious companion dog, lying on her legs licking her hand; her daughter and a nurse on one side; her long time caregiver and friend holding her feet; and her husband petting her head.
Gail would have been 82 in October. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on October 27, 1934, she was the only child to Hugh and Gladys Hanshaw. Raised in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, with fiery red hair and a personality to match, Gail was already a well-known figure in town as a child, driving her donkey and cart through the streets. Later she moved on to a horse before graduating to a jeep, with her monkey by her side. Her parents owned the Hanshaws dime store in Edinburg and she spent time in the store selling popcorn and ice cream in her youth. At Edinburg High School she was the drum major.
Gail attended Texas Woman's University (Denton), the University of Colorado (Boulder), and the University of Texas (Austin). After earning her BBA from UT, she married James F. Parker, Jr.; the couple had three children. Returning to McAllen, Texas, she taught elementary school and later high school and was a Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) coordinator.
Again single, in 1972 Gail relocated with her children and her future husband, Robert Lopez to Albuquerque, where she attended UNM and earned her Master's degree in Guidance and Counseling. While working on her Masters and PhD, she held internships with NM prisons, DRUG, and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Gail almost completed her PhD but left the program after her advisor's death to work for NIDA with heroin addicts and alcoholics. She next worked for the NM Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, as a vocational counselor. Later she was promoted to area V supervisor which encompassed the entire state.
Her final career was as a guidance counselor at the Technical Vocational Institute (now CNM), until her retirement August 30, 1996. Then President Ted Martinez requested she plan the establishment of a chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), an official international honor society for two-year colleges which allows for graduation with honors. She researched the requirements and the processes of other colleges that had recently created chapters. She selected the students to become the charter members who would assist in creating the chapter. They chose a faculty advisor. The group completed all requirements in record time. Gail traveled with President Martinez and the founding members to Washington, D.C. The chapter returned as Alpha Upsilon Chi, which still serves CNM today.
Immediately after retiring on August 30, 1996 she attended a conference on vocational program needs of Native American women and volunteered with Native women in New Mexico and Arizona. Throughout her career, Gail helped people conquer disabilities, expand their training and education, and find their own successful careers.
In retirement Gail traveled on her own by train across the USA and through the Canadian Rockies. She hopped freighters, sleeping on deck, to work her way up to Alaska and to see parts of it by boat and airplane. She returned via Vancouver to see VanDusen Botanical Garden and The Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island. From Seattle she toured the west coast by train. Upon her return to Albuquerque, she volunteered at the Animal Humane Association and at the Albuquerque Zoo, where she worked in the flower greenhouse and with the flower beds. She became a certified wildlife rehabilitator and joined NM Wildlife Rescue.
With her husband, Gail traveled to England to see Kew Gardens and also joined members of the Albuquerque Zoo and the then Albuquerque Zoological Society to travel to Kenya and Tanzania.
Before COPD took it from her, Gail was known for her laugh. COPD did not take from her the joy and comfort she felt from watching birds at the collection of feeders outside her bedroom window.
Gail loved life. She loved roses, gardening, birds and wild animals, her many pets (some exotic), travel, camping, boating, canoeing, and river rafting. She and her husband spent many weekends sightseeing in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado and they flew to visit many national parks. Their vacations were either spent traveling or at their log cabin in the Jemez Mountains. She loved hats and dressing to go with them. She loved music. Her favorite artists were Donovan and Willie Nelson. Among the artists she was recently enjoying were The Grateful Dead, Leonard Cohen, Gabrielle Roth, Florence Welch, and Joe Bonamassa.
An avid reader, Gail explored the many world religions, with special interest in the comparison of religions and what they held in common. Her faith was a blend of Episcopalian Christianity, Native American Shamanism, physics, and Tibetan Buddhism. She loved the opportunity to have experienced the 60s. Most of all, she loved her family.
Gail is survived by her devoted husband of 39 years, Robert Lopez, of Peralta, NM; her daughter, Andrea Parker McEneny (Richard), of Albuquerque; and her longtime caregiver, Nita Crawley, of Los Lunas, NM. She was predeceased by her parents and her sons, David Parker of Dallas and Mark Parker of Los Lunas.
A memorial service will be held in Albuquerque on Thursday, September 22, from 12 noon to 2:00 PM at the Albuquerque Garden Center. It is located at Los Altos Park, southwest of the intersection of Lomas and Eubank (just off I-40). Gail requested red roses for her memorial. Attendees may consider bringing or wearing one or more. Alternatively, donations may be made to support the zoo or Wildlife Rescue. Please visit Gail's online guest register at www.RiversideFunerals.com
Arrangements entrusted to:
Riverside Funeral Home
of Los Lunas
820 Main St. NE (505) 565-1700
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