Gail Marie Spencer Hole, a beloved friend, cherished wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on Friday, September 6, 2024, in Colorado Springs, CO, at the age of 78. She died following a brief, but courageous battle with cancer.
Gail lived in The Villages, FL, with Jonathan Masters Hole, her loving husband of 59 years. The daughter of Roland Oliver Spencer (“Spence”) and LaVerne Olga Petersen, Gail was born in 1946 in Minneapolis, MN. The family moved to Denver and later to Littleton, CO, where she and brother Jay grew up and considered home. Gail’s favorite thing was riding her horse everywhere, and she dreamed of becoming a cowgirl and teacher.
One of her prized possessions was a custom saddle she received at Christmas when she was 13. True to the cowgirl spirit, Gail epitomized the words of Dale Evans: “The cowgirl faces life head-on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear.” Gail graduated from Littleton High School in 1963. She was active in Girls Athletic Association, National Honor Society, Future Teachers of America, ice skating and Little Britches Rodeo.
After high school, she attended Colorado State University for a year-and-a-half, before marrying the love of her life, Jonathan Hole, on January 2, 1965. Jonathan fondly remembers the first time he saw Gail, who was best friends with his little sister, Carolyn. “She chased a goat in a rodeo, jumped off her horse and tied a ribbon around the goat’s tail.” During their courtship, the two lived apart (Jonathan in California and Gail in Colorado) and wrote each other a letter every day.
He proposed to Gail after a year of dating, and they were married at the First Presbyterian Church of Littleton. Gail moved to California with Jonathan in 1965 and attended the College of Marin at San Anselmo for six months. The two later enjoyed traveling through Europe, while studying German together at the Goethe Institute in Kochel Am See to further Jonathan’s Theology education. In 1966, Gail studied Shakespeare at the University of Edinburgh. After heading back to Colorado for Jonathan’s first church assignment in Greeley, Gail finished up her studies at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) and graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) in English and a minor in German.
The couple later moved to Midland, Texas, with their young children, Kristin and Doran. Their third child, Brandon, was born in Midland. The family then moved to Austin, before settling in Dripping Springs, Texas. Always fond of the water, Gail enjoyed watching her children’s swim meets and spending time at the lake house boating, waterskiing and fishing. Gail worked for the Texas Department of Human Services from 1973-89, with roles ranging from social worker to software/automation specialist to office supervisor.
When they returned to Littleton in 1989, she studied accounting at Arapahoe Community College. It gave Gail the opportunity to work with her mother, who ran an accounting and tax service. Eventually, Gail took over the business and worked there until she retired in 2002. Gail was very active in church and community endeavors wherever she lived. She was a treasured figure in The Villages, where she ran a Bunco group, golfed regularly, played mahjong, participated in the Colorado Club, Dunedin 200 activities, and enjoyed weekly card games with friends. She volunteered at the voting polls and was an avid sports fan and member of The Villages High School Booster Club.
Gail is survived by her husband Jonathan; brother Jay (Barb) Spencer of Cedar Creek, TX; her three children Kristin (Paul) Dellacroce of Colorado Springs, CO; Doran (Angela Lee) Hole of Cohasset, MA; Brandon (Elizabeth) Hole of Darien, CT; and six grandchildren (Nico, Dante, Isabelle, Mathison, Merritt and Elise).
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, October 12, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Fruitland Park, FL. The service will begin at 2 p.m.