Gale, Mansell W.
Mansell Watson Gale, 93, of Rochester, New York, passed away peacefully in hospice care at Rochester General Hospital, on Sunday, October 29, 2017.
At his request no service will be held.
Mr. Gale was born November 9, 1923, in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, moving with his family to Rochester shortly thereafter. He became an American citizen and served his adopted country honorably in the U.S. Navy during both World War II and the Korean War.
He worked in Chemical Engineering for many years at Stromberg-Carlson Company and created control-panel circuitry for the Mercury capsule Friendship 7, in which astronaut John Glenn orbited the earth in America’s first manned space flight, on February 20, 1962. This project was top-secret at the time, and he could not disclose this information to his family until years later.
His interests included country music and popular music of the 1930s and ’40s; mystery novels; classic movies; and spending time with friends and family. He was the kindest of gentlemen and the most loving of fathers, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew and cared about him.
Mr. Gale is survived by his children, Elizabeth (Glenn) Knudsen, of Chesterfield, Virginia; and Scott (Jean Marie) Gale, of Rochester, New York. He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara.
He will always be in my heart. I had the pleasure to know him only for a few short years, but in that time, we became very close friends. Its going to be difficult driving past his home each day. Most of the neighborhood got to know him through his garage sales, me included. I miss you, Gale.
My dear friend, my neighbor, my teacher. A gift.