Gail Heatherly Press' Obituary
Deborah Gail Heatherly Press, age 71, of Memphis, passed away peacefully at Baptist Reynolds Hospice House on March 19, 2024 with family by her side.
Gail was born on July 5, 1952 in Oxford, MS, the daughter of Clyde and Rosa Heatherly. She married Paul H. M. Press on June 21, 1975. As the wife of an Air Force Officer, travel was frequent, and they lived abroad in Manila, Philippines in the early 1980s.
In 1985, Gail and Paul moved their family to Memphis, TN and became members of Christ the King Lutheran Church. Gail was courageous in her faith and had a strong love for her Savior. She greatly influenced the spiritual growth of her children. When her children were young, Gail dedicated her time and energy coordinating four busy schedules and their various extracurricular activities including piano lessons and sports events. She was a home room mother, a member of the Parent Teacher League, and would often chaperone school field trips. On game days, she spent countless hours on the sidelines of basketball courts and soccer fields cheering them on. Gail had a passion for basketball and could be found at most games maintaining the score books, while sitting next to Paul, who was managing the time clock.
Gail worked for many years as a retail cashier at Stein Mart and was recognized numerous times for her exemplary service. She also worked several years for Walgreens Pharmacy and enjoyed interacting with her clients and making people smile. Gail loved to write and had a gift for writing poetry in particular. Though she was not fond of the water, she enjoyed spending time at the beach combing the shores for seashells. After her recovery from breast cancer in 2005, Gail became an avid advocate for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Paul H. M. Press, M.D.; her father, Clyde Lee Heatherly, her mother Rosa Ward Heatherly, her sister, Susan Lynn Henson, and her brother, Clyde Ward “Buster” Heatherly.
She is survived by her four children: Christen (Fred) Press Karayan, Deborah (Mark) Press Lentner, Paul Press, and Rebecca (Boyne) Press Arnold. Mrs. Press is also survived by her seven grandchildren: Grayson Edward Karayan, Ellie Grace Lentner, Liam Paul Lentner, Raven Brooke Ancheta-Press, Boyne Lee Arnold, Zada Marie Arnold, and Clayton Brown Arnold. Also surviving are her siblings: Peggy (Larry) Whiteside, Rosa Lee (John) Price, Pamela (James) Ivy, Bobby Rice, and Steven Heatherly. She is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, and other family & friends.
A celebration of Gail’s life will be held at 11:00am on Wednesday, March 27th, 2024 at Christ the King Lutheran Church with Rev. Charles Neugebauer officiating. Visitation will be held at 10:00am, prior to the service. She will be buried next to her husband following the funeral service in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to Christ the King Lutheran Church or to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
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