Gail M. Truax, 85, of The Villages, Fla., passed away peacefully October 6, 2025, at Hearthstone of Wildwood, Oxford, Florida. Born December 7, 1939, in Westfield, she was the daughter of the late Daniel and Leola (Wood) Fitzwater.
She was the loving wife of Dr. Bennie S. Truax who preceded her in death on September 6, 2025, and with whom she celebrated 65 years of marriage this past year.
Gail was a 1957 graduate of Cowanesque Valley Joint Senior High School, Westfield.
During her senior year, she had the honor of being chosen as her school’s representative for the State Good Citizen Competition, sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She was also chosen as Miss Westfield by her classmates to represent her community in the 1957 Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival Queen pageant. Gail went on to graduate from Mansfield State Teacher’s College in 1960 with a bachelor’s in education for Elementary
Education and a Minor in Special Education. She taught elementary grades for Wellsboro School District, State College School District and Chambersburg School District.
Gail was an avid reader and always had a book with her no matter where she went. She
encouraged her granddaughters to read as many books as they could and would always take them to the library when they visited. If she wasn’t reading, she was creating handmade postcards to send for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and special occasions. She was the organization to Bennie’s chaos. She supported him through all their life’s adventures whether that was obtaining multiple degrees, teaching at various schools, or exploring the world hand in hand. Her family was very important to her, and she enjoyed spending the summers with her granddaughters at their lake house on Keuka Lake in New York. She will be remembered for her beautiful smile, random singing outbursts, and her unwavering compassion for others.
Gail is survived by sons, Todd (Amy and her daughter Callie) Truax and Timothy (Anita) Truax; granddaughters, Chelsea Truax, Kirsten (Todd) Ditzler, and Ashley (Trey) Truax-Davis; great-grandsons, Boone Truax and Henry Ditzler; sister-in-law, Margaret “Peggy” Fitzwater; niece, Denice (Boyd) Williams; nephew, Dennis (Brandi) Fitzwater; great-nephews and great-niece, Caleb (Skylar) Fitzwater, Owen Fitzwater and Brynn Williams. She was also preceded in death by her brother Daniel “Bud” Fitzwater.
A combined Celebration of Life Service for Gail and Bennie will be held on October 29, at 1 p.m. at the Lake Deaton United Methodist Church located at 6500 Wesleyan Way,
Wildwood, FL 34785. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be live streamed on the following platforms:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LakeDeatonUMC/streams, Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LakeDeatonUMC/
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made by check payable to Lake Deaton United
Methodist Church in care of the “Sonrise” Respite Program or the Coleman Oaks Thrift Store, 6500 Wesleyan Way, Wildwood, FL 34785.