Gayle M. Willingham

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Her real passion was always children; she will be remembered most as always having a baby in her arms

Gayle Marie Willingham, age 84, of Ladysmith, WI, passed away on September 23, 2026, at Marshfield Medical Center in Eau Claire, WI. She was born on March 31, 1942, in Rochester, MN, to Galen B. and Virginia M. Raymond.

Gayle lived in Rochester and Minneapolis, MN, Polo, IL and Island Lake WI, before moving to Ladysmith in 1972. She married David A. Willingham on December 16, 1961, in Rochester. Together, they shared nearly 65 years of marriage and raised their family.

Gayle spent 35+ years providing loving and caring childcare in her home where she treated each child as her own and considered each family a part of hers. She also spent over 25 years working in the kitchen at Christian Harbor Youth Camp, many of those years as the head cook providing home cooked meals to hundreds of campers.

Gayle’s hobbies included baking, cooking, reading, knitting, crocheting and sewing. In her younger years she made all of her own clothes to include her own wedding dress. She made prom dresses and bridesmaid dresses for her daughter and others. Her expertise in sewing extended to beautifully crafting 4 wedding dresses for her daughter and 3 of her daughters-in-law. So many have been blessed with her beautiful creations, pieces that will be treasured forever.

Her real passion was always children; she will be remembered most as always having a baby in her arms. Her greatest joy came from being closely at hand for each of her grandchildren and most of her great-grandchildren’s births, ready to work her magic and rock them to sleep.

Gayle was a lifetime woman of strong faith, a supportive pastor’s wife, and a member of Island Lake Church of Christ. She was a confidant and counselor to her friends and family, strong in her beliefs, an unbiased listener and wise in her advice.

She is survived by her husband, David A. Willingham; her children, Scott and Jian Willingham of Austin, TX; Jamie Willingham of Wausau, WI; Colin and Kami Willingham of Burnsville, MN; and Libby and Eric Gulden of Red Wing, MN. She had 12 beautiful grandchildren, including Allissa (Paul), Brougan (Brett), Tsura, Keaton, Lucy, Connor, Tian, Max, Sakura, Piper, Yuan and Chloe; and six great-grandchildren, Brady, Daxtin, Bridget, Arya, Rory and Opie.

She is further survived by her brothers, Layton and Paulette Raymond of Rochester, MN, and Gary and Nancy Raymond of Blue Eye, MO; and her sister, Wanda and Ross Trogstad of Eyota, MN, along with other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Anita Stensrud and Rochelle Raymond; and a grandson, Keaton Willingham.

Two services will be held in remembrance of Gayle. Visitation will be held Friday, October 2, at Ladysmith Christian Church on Menasha Avenue at 9:30 a.m., with the service at 11:00 a.m with Ted East officiating. A second service will be held Sunday, October 4, at Marion Road Christian Church in Rochester, MN at 2:00 p.m. with Dr Paul McAlister officiating.

Gayle’s family has established a memorial fund, with donations to be made to Island Lake Church of Christ and Ladysmith Care & Rehab.