Gayla Lee Prummer

Gayla was born on July 12, 1954, in Sunnyside, Washington, to parents Joseph and Margaret Waterman. She was the sixth of eight children. Gayla grew up on farms and in rural homes in the Sunnyside area, with her family briefly moving to Colorado before returning during her younger years. Throughout her lifetime, Gayla would speak about picking asparagus before school days with the family to earn extra money. She would recall stories of pestering her older siblings and following them around, and she would speak about her many cousins and the relationships that were forged during those years. She recalled a special relationship with June Baird, her longtime childhood pastor, and many days at Bethel church as a child. She would remember her childhood days as both beautiful and special, yet also very difficult.

Gayla became a young bride and then mother. She eventually left the Yakima Valley to relocate to the Seattle area. Over the next several years, she would welcome three boys: Lim, Mike, and Dan. When Gayla's first marriage was dissolved in her late 20s, she found herself starting over as a divorced mother of three. It was while working for R.S. Hughes that Gayla met the love of her life, Mike Prummer. The two dated and were wed in October of 1985. Mike and Gayla welcomed two more children, Dawn and Chris, and the family became whole.

As young parents of five children spanning 16 years between the oldest and youngest, Mike and Gayla built a life for their family that revolved around supporting the kids in football camps, attending musical events, a brief time with horses, working every weekend on the property where the family lived, family vacations, travel, camping, and planning holiday gatherings that were special.

Gayla enjoyed a great many things in her life, but nothing compared to the absolute love and joy she had for her family. Over the years, as her children married and their families grew, she would cherish each member of the family as special. When her daughters-in-law joined the family, Chavaleh, Cheryl and Amy, she loved them fiercely. She and Mike would be blessed with 12 grandchildren: Lilly, Ronan, Vera, Heinrich, Brinna, Kailee, Finn, Brendan, Lee, Erin, Cameron, and Raven. Her grandchildren were the apple of her eye. She viewed each as uniquely gifted and special, and she would treasure each one. Gayla remained close to her brothers and sisters throughout her life. As she grew older, she developed a special relationship with her oldest sister, Shirley, and her younger sister, Marcy. The three would travel together, often meeting and sharing the most significant parts of their lives, forming a bond that grew deeper with time. Marcy would become her closest friend, and the two would speak almost every day. She would share her hopes and dreams and closest confidences with Marcy, coming to think of her as someone who was a kind of cross between a sister, friend, and child.

Of all of the great loves Gayla had for their family, she was devoted to and loved her husband, Mike. They shared 40 years of marriage, working together to build a better life for their family. Through the ups and downs of life, including the tragic loss of their son Mike in 2016, they stood firmly by each other. Together, they weathered storms, celebrated joys, laughed, and cried, and together, they built a home and a life. Together, they had a true partnership in their marriage and life. They never thought of their family as blended but rather as biologically one. In her last days, after her long battle with cancer, Mike was by her side, and he held her hand as she closed her eyes to this world and opened them to the incredible journey ahead.

Gayla Lee Prummer is preceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Rhoda and Carol Jo, and by her son, Michael. Gayla is survived by her husband, Michael Prummer, and children Lim and Chavaleh Forgey, Daniel and Cheryl Forgey, Dawn Prummer, and Christoph and Amy Prummer. She is survived by her twelve grandchildren: Raven, Cameron, Erin, Lee, Brendan, Finn, Kailee, Brinna, Heinrich, Vera, Ronan, and Lilly. She is also survived by siblings Shirley and Bill Smith, Gary and Sharon Waterman, Albert and Rosie Waterman, Joey and Cindy Waterman, and Marcy and Brian Blackburn.