Page created by: Genevieve Poist

Gail was diagnosed with Parkinson's in the 1990s when she was in her early forties. As a new mother and wife, Gail encountered a variety of challenges as she tried to maintain as normality while raising her young daughter, Genevieve. In a time before Internet saturation, Gail often felt alone in her early-onset illness, not able to connect with other peers experiencing her condition. Still, she pressed on and lived life to the fullest.

Gail was brave and bold in her journey with Parkinson's, undergoing not one but two brains surgeries -- the first in 1995, and the second in the early 2000s to receive a Deep Brain Stimulator. Gail fought through several other PD-related complications, including back, knee, and foot problems, chronic pain, weight fluctuations, falls, speech and memory difficulties, and many gastro-intestinal issues. However, Gail continued to live as normal of a life as possible and was a loving mother, wife, sister, aunt, friend, and choir singer. She would not be stopped!

Eventually, Gail was unable to move much without a great deal of assistance and was at high risk of falling, so her activities and trips outside of the home became fewer and farther in-between. Gail and her family experienced a great deal of difficulty keeping up with medical appointments, resources, and access to appropriate care and treatments as her husband (and primary caregiver) aged and declined in health, and all of this contributed to Gail's eventual decline. Gail and her family also encountered a great deal of medical professionals who were unfamiliar with PD symptoms, medications, and treatments, and this lack of knowledge often negatively affected the care Gail received when in the hospital or doctor's office. Her family believes that with better care and access to resources, as well as medically-maintained upkeep of her DBS system, Gail's quality and quantity of life could have been much more abundant. As such, Gail and her family are advocates for furthering the availability of community help, in-home care services, and widely available medical treatments and increased PD knowledge of all medical professionals so that people with chronic, debilitating conditions like Parkinson's can receive the best care possible at all times, even when family members are unable or unfit to provide that care or ask for such resources and treatments.

Before her diagnosis, Gail lived an adventurous and fruitful life. Gail was born on April 28, 1948, in Baltimore, MD, to the late Walter B. Brice and Virginia J. Brice. She graduated from Towson Senior High School in Baltimore in 1966 and spent time living "across the pond" in England before later settling in western Maryland. In 1983, she received an Associate's Degree in Media Technology and graduated magna cum laude from Allegany College of Maryland. Gail lived again in Baltimore before relocating to Brunswick, MD, with her husband, Mac, and daughter Genevieve. She worked as a secretary for Kelly Services and in sales for Mary Kay until her retirement.

While growing up in Towson, Gail studied piano with the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University. Gail continued to pursue music throughout her life, singing in the choir at Bethany Lutheran Church in Brunswick, where she was a long-time member. Gail also enjoyed singing with her sister and daughter, musicals, taking photos, The Golden Girls, watching movies, and the music of The Beatles, Charlotte Church, and Roy Orbison. She fostered many cats over her lifetime and had a heart for animals, especially those of the feline persuasion.

Gail was a loving mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She will be remembered for her warm personality, her delightful laughter, her creativity, and her ability to find joy in the simplest of things. Gail was brave in facing her early-onset illness and never let it stop her from boldly engaging in all of life's adventures. She never missed an opportunity for song, even in her last days.

Gail is survived by her husband, Malcolm and daughter, Genevieve. She is also survived by a sister, Ellynne, and husband, Jim; a brother-in-law David and wife, Betsy; a nephew Chad, wife Bo, and children Alexa and Asher; and a niece Maggie, husband Matt, and children Davis and Maple, as well as countless friends and family members in Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, and across the country.

Keep singing for Gail! Thank you for your donations.