Gayle Crow obituary

Gayle LaVonne Crow, age 88, of Edina, Minnesota, went to be with our Lord and Savior on March 17, 2026. Gayle was born in Lake City, Minnesota, to Wallace and Dorothy Hansen. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1955. After high school, Gayle attended nursing school at Abbott School of Nursing and then the Minneapolis School of Anesthesiology to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).
Gayle married Gary Crow in 1961, at which time she joined the Catholic community. The couple bought their first home in Columbia Heights, with a down payment that came from selling her beautiful Ford Thunderbird convertible. In 1974, Gary and Gayle moved to Edina, where they owned a home for 44 years. They were also snowbirds, with a home in Sun Lakes, Arizona, where they made many good friends in the neighborhood and at the fitness center.
Gayle worked as a CRNA for over 30 years; most of those years were spent at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. She was an excellent nurse who took great pride in her vocation, saying the best part of her career was working with the many wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff at the hospital.
Gayle was a dog person who never took part in a hobby halfway. The family’s first dog, Georgie Girl, paved the way for decades of Standard Schnauzer grooming, training, and showing all over the Midwest. In the early ’80s, Gayle returned to school, earning a degree in Health Arts from the University of St. Francis. She was a straight A student and an exceptional writer. Later in life, Gayle focused her talents on genealogy and was able to trace one family line back to the Mayflower. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
Gayle was a golfer with a straight shot, a gardener who grew the best tomatoes, green peppers, and raspberries, a believer in guardian angels, a good neighbor, and a wonderful mom and friend.
Gayle is preceded in death by Gary, her husband of 55 years. She is survived by her son, Gregory Crow of Roseville, Minnesota; daughter, Gretchen Crow of Richfield, Minnesota; brother, David Hansen; and nephew, Heath (Amy) Hansen.  
Funeral Mass 11 a.m. Thursday, May 14 with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. at The Church of St. Patrick in Edina, Minnesota. Private burial will be at Lakewood Cemetery in Lake City, Minnesota on May 15, 2026.  
Memorials are preferred to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Washburn-McReavy.com, Edina Chapel 952-920-3996.