Gale Salsbury Frana 11/13/1956 – 08/28/2025
Gale Salsbury Frana, 68, of Greenback, Tennessee passed away in her sleep on August 28, 2025.
Gale was born on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida on November 13, 1956 to John Louis and Yvonne Salsbury. The family moved to Germany when she was young, and it was there that they welcomed her brother Terry. As an Air Force family they traveled all over Europe and the United States, living in Othello, Washington and Homestead, Florida before her father retired and the family settled in Sanford, Florida. Gale graduated from Seminole High School in 1974 and the University of Central Florida with a BA in Business Administration in 1986.
Gale worked in various positions in Seminole County Schools before becoming a fulltime mom raising her 7 children. During these years, she volunteered in her children’s schools and advocated for greater educational opportunities for children with special needs. The family moved from Florida to East Tennessee in 2002. As her children grew older, she returned to her active involvement with friends training and showing Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Gale was an active member in the American Chesapeake Club and served in multiple board and committee positions over the years. She was also a long-time volunteer with Smoky Mountain Service Dogs, an organization that provides mobility assistance service dogs to veterans who were wounded in service to our nation. She served as an advanced foster for multiple service dogs and was a valued member of the client services team. Gale continued loving her family and serving her community even through her diagnosis with cancer in early 2025.
Gale was preceded in death by her parents, John Louis and Yvonne Salsbury. She is survived by her children Stephen, Jessica (Pete), Cliff (Mindy), Amanda (Bill), Mary (Mike), Chance (Fatima), and Katie (Zach), her 14 grandchildren, and her brother Terry (Shelia).
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Smoky Mountain Service Dogs.
Gale's Celebration of Life will be held at Immanuel Baptist Church (4641 Morganton Rd, Maryville, TN) on September 5th at 7:00p
Gale's Celebration of Life will be held at Immanuel Baptist Church (4641 Morganton Rd, Maryville, TN) on September 5th at 7:00p
