Gayle Owsley

Gayle Ann Owsley, 83, of Kansas City, Missouri passed away peacefully at NKC Hospice House on January 1st. She was a cherished mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. She was also an accountant, a weather watcher, an animal lover, a devoted reader and a talented knitter who will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Gayle was born in Hannibal, Missouri on June 20th to John Lake and Virgina Lake Buchmiller. She was the oldest of three. Her siblings Sue Hirner and John Lake remember their sister as someone who loved music and reading and was an accomplished honors student.

She graduated from Hannibal High School in the spring of 1960. She received a Regent’s scholarship to Kirksville State Teacher’s college (now Truman State University) which she attended for a year, before marriage to David Owsley and children, Michael David and Thomas Lee. She moved to Kansas City in 1962 and spent many years in Belton, before moving north of the river to be closer to her son, Tom and his family.

Her sons remember their mother as creative, loving and fun. She made them clothes, cooked hot breakfasts even on school days, and baked them homemade cakes and pies for their birthdays. Mike liked lemon meringue pie and Tom preferred strawberry cake. Her carrot cake was famous and always requested at family gatherings and work potlucks. In later years, as age made cooking more difficult, she switched to Pink Fluff and made that her specialty.

She shared her love of books with her sons & read to them often. She read The Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy aloud to them. She liked fantasy, sci fi and mysteries. They would watch Doctor Who together and she knitted Tom a scarf just like the fourth doctors, which he loved. Sherlock Holmes & Agatha Christie mysteries were also favorites of hers. She enjoyed watching TV versions of their mysteries all her life.

Gayle was athletic and loved to run and do step aerobics. She was very fast and used to get warned that she was destroying her knees, she worked out so much! She did have trouble with them, before Parkinson’s made it not an issue.

When her sons were teenagers and they lived with their mom alone, she was very progressive and trusted them to make their own choices. She gave them freedom to make their own decisions and supported them with unconditional love and praise. On Friday nights, they would frequently go to Putsch’s cafeteria at Oak Park Mall and see a movie. There were lots of fun memories made on those movie evenings!

Later on, Gayle returned to school and earned an associate’s degree in accounting from Longview Community College around 1980. She had a long career as an accountant & bookkeeper, working at Borchert & Hoeflicker, the city of Raymore, & First Trust. She spent more than 20 years at First Trust, where she kept the office on track.

She was the treasurer for a Cass County sheriff candidate’s campaign, which gave her son, Tom, the chance to drive his convertible in multiple parades.

She kept the minutes for the Belton Park board for many years, a volunteer position that meant a lot to her. Weather was a topic she was enthusiastic about. She enjoyed storm spotting and kept detailed records on local weather for much of her life. She was politically aware, voting and community involvement was very important to her.

Gayle really loved cats and all animals. She supported animal welfare charities and feed homeless cats at her front door for many years, taking in several and making them pets.

After she retired as an accountant, she wanted to keep busy and started working part time at the Belton library. She enjoyed helping people with their requests and making book recommendations.

Gayle was a wonderful grandmother and great grandmother. She loved to spend time with the children, buy them surprises and lots of books! She was a talented knitter, who made colorful, warm hats for everyone she knew and blankets for the children in the family.

Everyone who talked to her always heard the latest details about her grandchildren and how proud she was of them. She loved “Grandma Brag Time” and grinned with delight over each of their accomplishments.

Gayle had a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, which restricted her mobility, caused cognitive decline and increased anxiety. She remained cheerful however, while she lived for many years in Pleasant Valley Manor, a nursing home. She stayed very interested in politics and community. She served for several years as the president of the residents’ association, where she advocated for positive changes.

She loved attending all the social events and had many friends at Pleasant Valley. Bingo with fake money to buy prizes was one of her favorite activities, as well as music performances. She loved to hear her grandson Cooper play piano in the residence hall.

Gayle is survived by her sons and their wives, Mike and Estella Owsley, Tom and Lara Owsley; her siblings Sue Hirner and John Lake; her grandchildren, Mark, Colleen, Rae, Destiny, John & Cooper; her great grandchildren, Kylie, Ronin, Koa, Lula, Leon, Ruden & Lillian; and many nieces, nephews and their families. She also leaves behind many friends and caregivers.

A Celebration of Life will be held on January 9, 2026, at White Chapel Funeral Home, located at 6600 NE Antioch Rd, Gladstone, MO, 64119, at 12 PM. The service will be available via livestream at https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/c26017098336195. A Committal Service will take place at 12:30 pm in White Chapel Cemetery. A reception will follow from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Flowers and memorial contributions are welcome, if you would like. The family requests that donations be made in Gayle’s memory to either the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at https://www.michaeljfox.org/ or to the local animal welfare charities KC Pet Project or Wayside Waifs. Those are all causes that really mattered to her.

We have shared a favorite photo of Gayle on this page from a family wedding. We invite you to share your own photos and memories and messages of sympathy in the online guestbook to help us celebrate her life.

The family thanks you for your support and asks that you share this memorial with anyone who was touched by Gayle’s life. The family would also like to thank the devoted staff of Pleasant Valley Manor, St Lukes Neurology, NKC Hospital & NKC Hospice House who all took such wonderful care of Gayle through her final years.