Gail Martin Gilmore, 77, passed away on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas of complications from a stroke. Gail was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas to her parents William L. "Bill" Brown and Geraldine Ware Brown on Oct 24, 1946. Gail was a graduate of Greenwood High School in 1964.
Gail is survived by her husband, Charles Gilmore; two biological daughters, Kara Martin Ault (Rick) and Beth Martin Clark (Scott); two children of her heart, Toni Cochran (Mark) and Jeremy Wade, who she loved dearly like they were her own; sister, Karen Brown (James); brother Stan Brown (Debby); her grandchildren, LeAnna Johnson, Aubrey and Kinley Ault, Hudson and Anna Cochran, Rylan and Khegan Wade, Theresa Ray (Eric) and Heather Gilmore (Josh Isenhower) and great grandchildren, Tristan Ray and Chloé Isenhower. Gail was preceded in death by her parents and by her husband, Dr. Rick Martin.
Gail spent her life serving others in her community and church. She was the first woman to serve on the Greenwood School Board, was a member of the Greenwood Education Foundation, and helped organize a toy closet in Greenwood for children in need at Christmas. Gail was co-owner of The Friendship Shop in Greenwood and served as the youth director at Greenwood United Methodist Church for 10 years.
She and her husband, Dr. Rick Martin were foster parents as well as hosting three foreign exchange students in their home. Hundreds of teenagers over the years called Gail "Momma G", and found a welcoming hug, a smile and acceptance in her home. It was not unusual in the 90s for Gail and Rick to have over 85 teens in their home on a Wednesday night.
Gail accepted and loved people for who they were, and she always had a kind word for everyone. She loved to laugh. We will forever be grateful she was ours, and we will miss her until we see her again in heaven one day.
"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
Funeral service will be 10 a.m., Tuesday, November 14 at the Ed Wilkinson Pavilion at Bell Park in Greenwood with burial at Liberty Cemetery under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood. Visitation with the family will be held Monday from 5 – 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations can be made in Gail's honor to any of these three organizations: Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601, Washburn United Methodist Church, 9524 East Highway 10, Greenwood, Arkansas 72936 or Willard Walker Hospice House, PO Box 356, Fayetteville, AR 72702.
To share a memory or leave a message for the family, please visit www.mcconnellfh.com.
