Gaile L. (Tripp) Fletcher, 88, of Westport, MA, peacefully passed away at The Cottages in Dartmouth, MA on Saturday, June 14, 2025, with her family by her side.
Daughter of Evelyn G. (Lambert) Tripp and Leslie J. Tripp, Gaile was a lifelong resident of Westport. She graduated from Westport High School where she was Class Secretary, an active member of several clubs including the Photography Club and the Orchestra, and was an avid sportswoman playing on the Field Hockey, Basketball, and Softball Teams.
Gaile went on to obtain her Secretarial Degree at the Campbell School in New Bedford, after which she began her career at Morse Twist Drill & Machine Co. where she worked in the accounting and payroll departments. She was very proud to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps working at Morse, which she always said was the best company in the city. She met her husband of 53 years, Wallace E. Fletcher while working at Morse.
Gaile, shy at first, was coaxed out of her shell by her many coworkers at Morse who would become life-long friends. She played on their bowling team and enjoyed many social events while working at Morse and later on her outings with “the girls”.
Gaile and Wallace settled in Westport just a few miles from where she grew up and raised their two daughters in the home they loved. Gaile loved everything Westport, from the cows and farmland to the rich history to the ospreys down by the harbor. Gaile was a founding member and former president of the Westport Historical Society. She was a member of the Pacific Union Church for many years where she served as a trustee and sang in the choir. She was famous for her penny candy table at the Historical Society’s Bell School Fair. Gaile had an affnity for all animals and cared for many pets over the years and even trained and showed several dogs. In later years, one of her favorite activities was to go for rides around town to enjoy the scenery with her cousin Jane and stop for a cone at Woods Ice Cream Stand.
A great enjoyment for Gaile was to cheer on her daughters and later grandsons and her great nieces and nephews in their endeavors. She was always up for a drive to watch a basketball, baseball, or football game or attend a dance recital or concert. She was a lifelong Red Sox fan.
Gaile had many interests and was an avid nature photographer. She served as President of the Bristol County Genealogy Society for several years and enjoyed researching her family history. She and her husband enjoyed Concerts at the Point and other cultural activities in the surrounding area. Gaile loved driving which led her on many adventures and she would gladly offer a ride to help friends or family.
Gaile is predeceased by her husband Wallace E. Fletcher, her brother Lincoln S. Tripp, and her nephew Peter M. Gavel. Survivors include her sister Karen G. (Tripp) Gavel: her daughter Jennifer Fletcher of Newport, RI; her daughter Heidi Gaul of Hingham, MA; her grandchildren Francis and Owen Gaul of Hingham, MA; her nephew Paul Gavel, her niece Kari (Gavel) Oevermann; and her cousin and best friend Jane Bernardo.
Friends and relatives are invited to attend a funeral service on Friday, June 20, at the Potter Funeral Home, 81 Reed Rd., Westport, MA at 10:30 AM. Visitation will take place from 10:30-11:30 AM followed by a funeral service at 11:30 AM. Interment will follow at Beech Grove Cemetery, Westport, MA.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Westport Historical Society or New England Hospice of Hingham, MA.