Gayle Banner

FUNERAL SERVICE:  2:00 P.M. Wednesday, October 17, 2018, at Comanche Funeral Home Chapel. BURIAL:  Oakwood Cemetery in Comanche County. VISITATION:  6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. Tuesday, October 16, at Comanche Funeral Home. LUNCH:  Family will have lunch at Pettit Baptist Church. MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, donations in Gayle’s memory can be made to Pettit Baptist Church, 150 County Road 248, Gustine, Texas 76455
Gayle Allen Banner – loving wife, mother, grandmother and former Gunter High School principal and teacher – went to heaven to be with her Lord at 4:32 am Sunday, October 14, 2018 after a five-year battle with cancer. She was an amazing Christian woman who inspired and touched thousands of lives over her more than 30 years of teaching. On Valentine’s Day in 1945, Gayle was born in Arp, Texas to Jack and Lois Allen. Her father was a pipeline welder, so her family moved every 6 months and lived all over Texas. When she was in the seventh grade the family finally settled down in Gustine, Texas, where she ultimately graduated from Gustine High School as valedictorian. A bit of a tomboy, Gayle loved playing basketball, volleyball, twirling, horseback riding, roping and barrel racing in the rodeo. She served as President and Area 2 nd VP of Future Homemakers of America. After High School graduation, she married the love of her life and high school sweetheart, John Cullen Banner Jr., and moved to Garland, Texas to start a family. She had two girls, Karen and Kristi, and started her career as a teacher’s assistant at North Garland High School. In 1976, John was transferred to the Sherman with Texas Instruments, they relocated to Howe, Texas where she started substitute teaching. A smart, determined lady, Gayle decided to follow her dream of teaching. She used her remarkable juggling skills to manage school, work and family. In August 1978, she graduated from East Texas State University with a bachelor’s in education and started teaching at Gunter High School. She taught a wide variety of courses (Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Fundamentals of Math, Typing, Shorthand, Accounting, Introduction to Computers and Theater). As if that wasn’t enough, she coached girls’ softball in Howe, was cheer, yearbook, and senior sponsor at Gunter High and never missed one of her own daughters’ school events. She also was the UIL Academics Typing, Shorthand, Journalism, Speaking and One Act Play events coach at Gunter High School, where she helped two students win State championships in Typing and several others bring home 2 nd and 3 rd place awards in shorthand and journalism. This hard work and dedication earned her the outstanding teacher award in 1992. During the summers Gayle served as Softball Commissioner and went back to school at the University of North Texas to get her master’s in Education. In 1992, she became the Gunter High School principal and served in that role until she retired in 2000. In 2002, John and Gayle moved back to their roots in Comanche, Texas to take care of their mothers. They reunited with friends from their childhood and enjoyed playing golf, cards, traveling and attending church and spending time with their grandchildren. She enjoyed being part of several Bridge clubs, the Red Hat Society, as well as serving as Church Treasure at Pettit Baptist Church, President and Treasurer for Par Golf Course LGA and Vice President for the Community Study Club. Gayle is survived by her husband of 55 years, John Cullen Banner Jr. of Comanche; daughters Karen Banner Samford and Jay Palmer of Mansfield and Kristine (Kristi) Banner Adams and her husband Kurt Adams of Frisco, sister Jackie Willingham and her husband David of Gustine; grandchildren Austin Adams of Ft. Worth, TX; Payton Adams of Frisco TX, Jamy Akins of Beeville, TX and Bristow III, Waldrop, and Ty Samford of Columbus, Georgia; Nephews Barry Willingham of Midland, Craig Willingham of Gustine and Mark Willingham of The Woodlands; Niece Tjuna Douglass of Bryan. Gayle is preceded in death by her parents Jack and Lois Allen of Gustine, In-laws John Cullen Banner Sr. and Neva Banner of Hico, Sister-in-law June Parks and Brother-in-law Ray Parks of Hico, Son-in-law Bristow Samford Jr., of Woodstock, GA; Nephew Ricky Parks of Hico and Niece Theresa Parks Nippers of Lake Charles, LA.