Gale Dewey Harrison

Gale Dewey Harrison

November 11, 1926 - November 11, 2021

Gale was born on November 11, 1926 to the late Rolla E. and Ada (Glassburn) Harrison. His mother referred to him as her "Armistice Baby". Gale grew up and worked on the family farm near Galveston with his three sisters "who were the best sisters anyone could have" Betty Lou Flint, Nancy Monticue and Wilma Flick and brother High Rodman "Rod". Nancy, who celebrated her 100th birthday in September, survives Gale.

Gale married Mildred Maxine Gentry in Kokomo on May 19, 1946. Two children, Deborah (Kim deceased) and Mark (Denise), and grandchildren Norbert and Marlena Searfoss and Susan Severn survive in addition to granddaughter Rachel Grace Searfoss whose death at the age of 18 remained a keenly felt loss to Gale. Gale also left several great-grandchildren.

In 1943 at the age of 17 with his father's approval, Gale enlisted in the U.S. Navy, first undergoing training at Barrage Balloon School at Camp Bradford, Virginia. He was then deployed to the European Theater of World War II, stationed on the USS LST-499 and later the 515. In the days leading up to D-Day, Gale's ship escaped torpedoes launched upon them by German submarines during Operation Tiger, an event that Gale did no share with anyone until the operation was declassified in 1988. Gale's ship landed troops on Utah Beach during Operation Overlord until his ship was sunk by a mine.

He never considered himself a hero and turned away a Purple Heart because he thought others were more deserving. Gale ultimately served in the US Navy for his entire career aboard ship and at stations in California, Texas, and Virginia. He was honorably discharged after 25 years as a Chief Petty Officer, a rank of which he was proud, responsible for providing mechanical support for the Navy's airplanes. He was a licensed airplane pilot and licensed Airframe and Power Plant Mechanic.

Gale enjoyed many interests over the years, from making his own wine, helping at the spay-neuter clinic, frying chicken at the senior center in Rochester, Indiana, piloting his own plane, riding his cycle, gardening and playing acey deucey (which he claimed was a major shipboard diversion). Over his lifetime, he also oversaw a number of dachshunds and other dogs, cats, mallards Pepe and Rosita and horses. A gregarious guy, he enjoyed showing up at Purdue when Mark was there with a case of White & Blue and steaks that "fell of a truck", and assuming the persona of an aviation professor at Mark's campus parties. He was a fan of deals "that were easy on the pocket book" and enjoyed the hunt for deals at garage sales and flea markets. He had achieved the rank of Master Mason and Grand Lodge Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Texas.

An inveterate storyteller, Gale could spin tales with unflagging spirit, and one story always led to another: from his encounter with King Farouk to learning to make wine from an Italian winemaking family member to liberty in foreign countries to a potato farmer in Virginia to his WW II injury recuperation in a castle in England. Gale will be remembered for such colorful turns of the phrase "We'll risk it lieutenant", "The cheese binds", "Come on over and we'll burn one", and "Fa so loose juice caboose.....so ha". We still don't know what that last one is supposed to mean. Or any of them, really.

Gale made many new friends at 5 Star North Woods in the last few years. The family thanks the staff and residents of North Woods for being his friend and for the good cookies, and the nurses and staff of Ascension Hospital Kokomo for their kindness and care. The pandemic took garage sale prowling and bingo events from him and he contracted and recovered from Covid last year, but his optimism remained. But now, finally, this sailor and one of the Greatest Generation has completed his watch. He will be missed.