Elwyn Gayle Dull was born on July 5, 1939, on a farm in St. Clair County near Weaubleau Creek. He departed this life at home surrounded by his family, Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Gayle was the middle child, and only son of Truman William and Achsa Ulayla (Myers) Dull.
Gayle attended Cross Lane one-room school in Quincy, grades 1-6, and Freedom one-room school in Wisdom, grades 7-8, and graduated from Weaubleau High School with the “Class of 1957”. During Gayle’s high school years at Weaubleau, his first cousin, Wendell Burchett, came to live with Gayle and his family. Wendell always has been like a brother to Gayle.
January 30, 1960, Gayle was united in marriage to Wilma LaVonne Zumalt at First Baptist Church of Osceola. To this union, six children were born: Crystal, Konnie, Kendra, Gayla, Jason and Clint. Gayle and Wilma lived in Kansas City, MO for 1 ½ years after they were married. Gayle worked for H. D. Lee Company, Hallmark Cards, Owens Corning Fiberglass and Lakeside Hospital. They then moved to the family farm in Quincy where they spent a lifetime farming. They milked cows, bottle fed calves, raised beef cattle, did custom hay baling and combining.
Gayle was an avid hunter and excellent marksman who loved the outdoors. He enjoyed going to Colorado elk hunting and Iowa pheasant hunting. He also very much enjoyed deer and turkey hunting and also floating down the river snagging spoonbill. Gayle also had been in South America to Belize and Peru on fishing trips with his good neighbor friends. Gayle and Wilma enjoyed vacationing with friends and frequently had friends over for an evening of popcorn and playing cards and homemade cake and ice cream.
In the 1970s when CB radios were the craze, Gayle was the “Motorcycle Man”. Gayle really loved riding motorcycles and doing motorcycle hill climbing. He liked doing his motorcycle stunts and always was up for a new challenge.
Gayle especially enjoyed his good friends, and his good friends always enjoyed him just as much. Gayle had a heart of gold and will always be remembered by his good sense of humor and contagious smile. He would do everything he could to help anybody and was always there to lend a hand to help his neighbors as well.
In late April, Gayle made the first of two trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where on May 17, 2017, he was diagnosed by their pancreatic surgeon, with stage III pancreatic cancer. He fought this very difficult disease with much courage and with the support of all his friends’ visits, phone calls, cards and prayers.
Gayle was preceded in death by his wife, Wilma; his parents Truman and Ulayla (Myers) Dull; and brother-in-law, Lionel Lear.
He is survived by four daughters, Crystal & Carl Meinhardt, Lee’s Summit; Konnie Vaughn, Liberty; Kendra & John Goucher, Holden; Gayla Murphy, Lee’s Summit; two sons, Jason Dull, Quincy; and Clint & Tara Dull, Quincy; 14 grandchildren, Brent Zismer, Chrisa & Sean Harper, Kayla Murphy, Brittani & Chris Coats, Jessica & Ryan Averitt, Kendall & Erika Edwards, Courtney, Amberly & Keri Dull, Sydney, Alex & Austin Spitz, and Easton Dull; five great grandchildren, Dean Zismer, Emily Harper, Maverick Coats, Emma Kate Edwards and Peyton Leonard; as well as two sisters, Arlene Lear, Humansville, Brenda & Larry Denton, Garland, KS.
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