Gail Ann Abbott
October 25, 1948 - December 16, 2023
Gail Abbott, age 75, died suddenly of natural causes on December 16, 2023 in her Golden, Colorado home with her wife by her side. She is survived by Sue Ammen, her life partner/wife of 44 years; daughter Kayli Ammen; son-in-law Devin Stinchcomb; nephew Tristan Jeffery; sister Leslie Abbott; and Leslie’s daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren Lily, Calvin, and Penny; as well as many other relatives on both sides of the family who will all miss her greatly.
Gail was born Oct. 25, 1948 to Betty (Hamilton) Abbott and Jack Abbott in Windsor, CO. She earned a BA in theatre and music from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. In 1979, she met the love of her life, Sue Ammen, while volunteering on a community crisis team in Missoula, MT. They moved to Fresno, CA in 1980 while Sue completed her doctorate in psychology. Gail completed a degree in Computer Science and became an Instructional Consultant with CSU, Fresno. She later completed an MS in Organizational Behavior through the California School of Professional Psychology. After moving back to the Rocky Mountains (Golden, CO) in 2004, Gail became a Certified Musician for Healing and Transition (CMHTP), providing music for healing and hospice for many years.
In 1988, Gail and Sue were joined in Holy Union in the mountains near Yosemite. They welcomed their daughter, Kayli Abbott Ammen in 1990, and in 2014, they were legally married. Gail surrounded her family with her love, music, and her joy for life. She enthusiastically explored and learned about the world she lived in (rocks, flowers, trees, birds, etc), different cultures and spiritual paths, especially the indigenous Southwest, and read voraciously – with a particular passion for science fiction/fantasy. She loved being a parent and described Kayli as her “heart’s delight.”
Gail touched so many people with her life – with her music, her spirituality and connection to the land, her generosity, and her social justice values and work. She led peace marches at her college campus in the 60’s, served on the Central Valley Aids team board and the California State University Diversity committee in Fresno, and was active in many social justice causes through the Unitarian Universalist church. She led youth groups into the Hopi and Navajo lands, and used her talents with guitars, drums, and Native American flutes for worship, for healing, and the joy of sharing her music.
Gail shared the beauty of her musical gifts throughout her life. In the 70’s she collaborated with her good friend, Terry Rae to create and record Daydream Door in Missoula MT. In Fresno, she was part of a music group called Distaff that often used their music for social justice causes and in 2003, they made a CD called The Gathering. And in Golden, she was part of the acapella musical group Sophia’s Journey, who also recorded a CD called First Steps. The gift of her words and music lives with us forever through her recordings.
“There are not words sufficient in any given tongue
for the happiness and joy of love completely to be sung
And through the miles in space between us I’ve come to see
there’s nothing that can take away the you that’s part of me”
- Words & music by Gail Abbott, recorded on Daydream Door
Make a Donation In Honor of Gail
A Celebration of Life was held January 12, 2024, at the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colorado.