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James R. Gailey, 88, passed from this life on Monday, August 6, 2012 in Muskogee.
He was born on December 31, 1923 in Commerce, OK, the son of Ernest Orville Gailey and Leona Ethel (Hopper) Gailey.
He spent his early years in the Commerce/Miami area before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1941. He was initially assigned to the light cruiser USS Helena stationed at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii and was a survivor of the attack and events of December 7, 1941. This was followed by action in the WWII battles of Guadalcanal and Okinawa, where he earned the rank of Senior Chief Quartermaster, in service throughout the Pacific and Atlantic theaters, and culminated in a 20 year naval career as the local Navy recruiter.
He then worked 20 years for Corning Glass Works in Muskogee as a purchasing and warehousing manager, retiring in 1984. Jim was a dedicated Christian, has been an active, 40 year member, elder and occasional minister of the Eastside Community Church and an enthusiastic supporter of various local charitable organizations. In recent years, he was regularly invited to speak to local area schools and civic groups regarding his Pearl Harbor and other WWII experiences, received numerous honorariums and most recently served as a Grand Marshall of the 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor parade in Honolulu, HI.
Jim is survived by his wife of 37 years, Theresa (Fath) Gailey, son, James R. Gailey, Jr. and his wife, Cina, of Oklahoma City, OK, daughters, Vicki L. Murray and her husband, Ed, of Durango, CO and Susan K. Smith and her husband, Philip, of Wichita, KS, eight grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren. Jim is survived by his wife of 37 years, Theresa (Fath) Gailey, son, James R. Gailey, Jr. and his wife, Cina, of Oklahoma City, OK, daughters, Vicki L. Murray and her husband, Ed, of Durango, CO and Susan K. Smith and her husband, Philip, of Wichita, KS, eight grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 10, 2012 at Eastside Community Church, 500 E. Peak Blvd. with Pastors, Gary Underwood, Tom Hopkins and Vance Oliver officiating. Interment will follow in Ft. Gibson National Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Joe Kreiner, Odell Pamplin, Dave Roadruck, James Watkins, Larry Myers and Ken Herringshaw. Memorials have been established with Eastside Community Church and the American Cancer Society, 4110 S. 100th East Ave., Tulsa, OK 74146. Funeral service arrangements are under the direction of Foster-Petering Funeral Home. Condolences to the family may be made at www.foster-petering.com
Born of German descent in Titel, Yugoslavia on January 12, 1933, Theresa Fath Gailey was forced to flee to Germany during World War II to avoid interment in a Russian concentration camp.
In 1955 at the age of 22, Theresa along with her parents and younger brother, emigrated to the United States, settling in Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty years later she met Jim Gailey, a widower from Muskogee, Oklahoma, at a Church of God conference in Anderson, Indiana. The two were married soon after, making their home in Muskogee, where they lived until Jim's death in 2012.
For the past five years Theresa has enjoyed the community of Hefner Mansions in Oklahoma City where she was active in Bible study and worship services and created lasting bonds of friendship with numerous residents. She commented on more than one occasion that moving to the Mansions was one of the best decisions she ever made.
Following a brief and unexpected illness, Theresa passed quietly on June 13, 2021, stepping out of her earthly body and into Jesus' arms.
Theresa is survived by her brother, Reinhold "Ron" Fath of Cleveland, Ohio, along with her inherited Gailey family: children James R. Gailey, Jr. of Oklahoma City, Vicki Lynn Murray of Durango, Colorado and Susan Kay Smith of Wichita, Kansas, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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