Gay Marie Dawley(Stangl) died peacefully Sunday, March 11, 2012 after a short stay at Elizabeth House in Flat Rock, NC. She is survived by her husband, Richard Dawley of Hendersonville; daughter, Courtney Dawley of Seattle Washington; brothers, Shuse of Salt Lake City Utah and Cody Stangl of Topeka Kansas, nieces Margo Stangl Cowley and Elizabeth (Dawley) Mount; nephews Michael Stangl and Ben (Dawley) Mount. She was blessed by the visits and messages from her family and many friends in recent months and cherished then all. The depth of love expressed has brought comfort to all who loved her so dearly. Gay was born September 2, 1947 in Joplin, MO and raised in nearby Riverton, KS. She graduated from Pittsburg (KS) State University and joined the the management training program at Macy's Kansas City division offices. She worked for many years in retailing as a buyer of women's clothing and accessories and travelled around the world in that capacity. After the birth of her daughter, Gay focused on nurturing Courtney and on volunteer work including board and officer positions with the Norwell Education Foundation, Visiting Nurses Association, UCC Women's Fellowship, and PTO – all in Norwell, MA as well as many other organizations while living in Bedford, NH and Wichita, KS, and Bedford Hills, NY including Meals on Wheels. In all these things Gay brought creativity, planning, inspiration, love and joy to those with whom she worked and for those who were served by the organizations. May your thoughts and prayers be of remembrance of her love of god and her passion for life. In remembrance of Gay consider contributions to Elizabeth House in Flat Rock, Caringbridge.org or to other organizations to which Gay devoted her efforts. A memorial gathering in celebration of Gay's life will be held in Hendersonville, NC at Cummings Cove on Sunday March 18th from 1 until 4:30pm