Visitation and Services for Gail

Published Sunday, February 3, 2013 in the Virginian Pilot

Gail Marie Arnold
Virginia Beach - Gail Doxtater Arnold, 55, resident of Virginia Beach, ended her courageous battle with lung cancer on Jan. 29, 2013. She passed away at her home peacefully with her loving and devoted husband by her side. 

Gail was born October 15, 1957 in Rochester NY. She later moved to Hudson, Ohio, then to San Diego California where she met her husband and then settled in Virginia Beach to start a family where she resided for 29 years.




Beloved daughter of Ardelle and the late Harold Doxtater, she is survived by her husband, Michael Arnold; son, Christopher; loving sister to three brothers, Larry Doxtater and wife, Carole; Gary Doxtater and wife, Carol; Greg Doxtater and wife, Jean; and cherished aunt of Scott, Keith and Oliver Doxtater.

Gail Designer/Owner of Topiaries at the corner of 25th Street & Pacific Ave is a graduate of the prestigious Hixson School of Floral Design and a nationally recognized award winning floral designer. Gail turned her passion and talent in to successful businesses combining a floral background of 36 years from New York to California with an impressive Client list, including J.P. Morgan (Manhattan), John Hancock (Boston), and over 2000 weddings for her Event Floral Business Floral Originals.

Her infectious smile and love for life will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She was a bright light so full of energy, her light will continue to burn bright through her family and friends that loved her dearly.

Visitation and sharing of Gail's life will be held at the Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home (Great Neck Chapel), Friday February 8th, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A funeral mass will be held at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church on Saturday, February 9th at 10am with a reception afterward. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the ASPCA at www.aspca.org. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.hollomon-brown.com

At Peace

Hi All,

This is the blog post that I've dreaded for the past year. Our Gail passed away last night with her husband, Mike, by her side. When Gail and I started this blog a year ago, we never talked about how this particular post would be stated.  We wanted to believe it was not going to happen and took strength in the power of that thought. Yes, there were many dark times when she felt like she could not take one more day of the constant pain, but she always pulled herself up and decided to attack again. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the love, good memories, food and hope you provided for her and her family this past year.  On the coffee table in her den sits a basket overflowing with cards and letters that she has received while fighting this battle.  She constantly reread them whenever she needed a boost of confidence.  I hope you all can take comfort in knowing that those messages of hope and thanks and love to Gail will become treasures for her family as they discover how much she meant to each and everyone of you.

At the beginning of this battle, Gail didn’t want to call her cancer The Big C as she preferred to think of her Christ as The Big C.  Her cancer became The Bug.  I’d like to think that in the end, she did squash that bug and that she didn’t lose her battle.  The cancer did not win.  While Gail’s body is no longer with us, neither is her cancer.  We will always be surrounded by Gail’s beauty, wit and talent.  Whenever a favorite song comes on the radio, we’ll sing it with her.  Whenever we go to a blues or jazz concert, we know she’ll be dancing in the park with us. Whenever we pass by a beautiful flower arrangement, we’ll celebrate her talent in our memories.  Whenever I go to Barnes and Noble, I’ll always continue to call our cappuccino a “cappa cappa”.  And finally, many of us will always ask for a dill pickle in our Bloody Mary and share a chuckle as we raise a toast to the crazy friend that introduced that delicacy to us.  She will always be around us and now finally, cancer free.

Rest peacefully Gail, the pain is finally gone. 

We will always love you.

-Megan

2 Corinthian 4:8-9

We are pressed on every side by trouble, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.  We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.