I knew Gaynelle from the hiking club. I would have liked to gotten to know her better. She was quiet, thoughtful, and funny. One time she and I shared a guestroom at a B&B in Keene Valley, NY for a hiking club weekend in the Adirondacks. It summertime and there were screens on the windows. A bat got into the room during the night. We discussed what we should do? I was terrified and pulled the sheet over my head. Meanwhile Gaynelle was very brave and took care of the bat, catching it and letting it back outside. I thanked her and commented that this was certainly a first! We'll have to let the B&B owners know in the morning that a bat got into the room. She quietly responded "Yeah, right" knowing wisely that this was probably not the first time this bat entered the room.

She loved working at the Zoo, and told me about her involvement with the annual Boo at the Zoo event. Gaynelle's face lit up whenever she talked about her work at the zoo.

Gaynelle was a very sweet, caring person. I worked with her at the Binghamton Zoo doing Zoomobiles from time to time. Though I didn't know her well, it was obvious that she cared deeply about the animals at the zoo. She was a private person who had a lot to give.

I met Gaynelle in 2009 when I joined the Endwell Garden Club. She was so enthused about all aspects of the garden club. I served with her on the board of directors for over 5 years. She was a thoughtful, helpful beautiful person who enjoyed working with all our members and volunteers to help often at the garden club yearly flower sale, planning new programs and also at the Home and Garden Show at Binghamton University of which our club was a part. She will be missed greatly by our club members. I am so sorry for your loss and my heartfelt condolences to her family.