Gail E Cyrkiel

When asked what she wanted her obituary to say, Gail responded, “I don’t really give a damn. Say whatever you want.” Watch out. Sometimes you get what you didn’t ask for. Gail died during a crashing thunderstorm in the early hours of July 15, 2020, at Agrace HospiceCare. Her wife and partner of 40 years, Steffi Greene, was by her side, along with her sister Lynne and a few close friends. She died at the age of 68, a year and a half after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. During her illness, she was cared for by Steffi along with a community of dear friends and support from Agrace. Born in Chicago Heights, Illinois, to Aldona and John Cyrkiel, Gail graduated from Illinois State University and had a career in teaching working with special needs kids who she engaged with her irreverent humor and teaching style. She was known for things such as walking around class in scuba flippers and admonishing a student who had passed gas to “Never be that relaxed in my class again!” Gail’s humor was legendary, brash, bold and bawdy. She would go right up to the line of propriety . . . and then gleefully jump over. She was also incredibly generous and caring - tutoring children who needed extra attention and visiting elders in senior housing with Steffi and their dog Bruce. An avid reader and researcher, she loved to help friends who were in the market for an appliance or car to find the best buys, and was always loaning out good books. If you needed a tool, Gail likely had five of them to loan, if she could just find one. She would say to her friends, “Do you need money? I can give you some. I have plenty.” Gail loved life and had an insatiable curiosity about people, the world, and how things worked. She traveled extensively, including to Vietnam with her teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. Her last trip was camping by herself with Bruce in her newly renovated camper pickup. She loved living by the lakes in Madison and visiting her favorite spots in town, especially Vinnie’s, where she was a regular customer, often purchasing whacky items for friends, or collecting materials to use for making little pet caskets with a friend while drinking dark beer. For 26 years, Gail and Steffi have had a cabin on land in Viroqua, where they have created lush and beautiful flower and vegetable gardens and hosted countless friends over the years. One of her favorite activities was mowing the acres of grass with her riding mower, which she was able to do one last time only a few weeks ago. Besides the love of her life Steffi, Gail physically leaves behind best dog, Bruce; sister, Lynne Thomas of Madison and her two children, Drew Thomas and Kayla Avery; sister, Mary Ann Cyrkiel of Steiger, Illinois; as well as a myriad of dear and lifelong friends. As one friend said, Gail was the “Dolly Lama” for so many. She will always be with us in spirit. In keeping with her values, Gail will have a green burial in Verona, which due to the COVID pandemic, will be private. A celebration of Gail’s life will take place in the future when friends and family can gather safely to share stories. Donations in Gail’s memory may be made to Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (WOCA) https://www.wisconsinovariancancer.org/ and World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/. Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive (608) 221-5420