Our family both lovingly and with great sorrow announces the death of Dorothy Jane Gale, the matriarch of our family, on April 20, 2024.  Known also as Jane Gale or Janie Bell, she was loved by many and her presence in all our lives was a true gift. Janie’s family was always her priority, and she leaves behind many friends and loved ones.

Janie was born on September 17, 1951, in Newport News, VA, and raised in Smithfield, VA. She graduated from Smithfield High School and Virginia Computer College, where she met her husband of more than 50 years, John Gale. They lived in Charleston, WV, where they raised their three children until 2004, when they retired to Myrtle Beach, SC.

Jane was unfortunately preceded in death by her son Adam Blake Gale, and her parents Nick and Dot Bell of Smithfield, VA. She is survived by her husband of over fifty years, John Gale, her daughters Courtney Dowell and Stephanie Gale, and her siblings Diane Jones (Smithfield, VA), Lynn Bell (Hampton, VA), and Perry Bell (Hampton, VA). The brightest star in her last years was her grandson, Eliot Scott Chapman. Her eyes lit up every time she saw him. 

Acts of service were Jane’s love language, and she was active in various service projects her entire life. So in lieu of flowers, donations to either Wreaths Across America in Florence, SC, or the Kanawha-Charleston Animal Shelter would be appreciated.