10/30/2025
A handwritten note, taped on the driver-side sun visor of the Toyota RAV4, reads “Pray, Hope, Trust, Don’t Worry!”
Keeping words like this to live by – posted in her car and also stuck in her Bible or a drawer or framing the bathroom mirror – was a hallmark of Gail Misch of Coffeyville, who died October 25, 2025, at The Journey Home in Dewey, Oklahoma.
Gail Elaine Hunt was born August 18, 1946, in Midland, Texas, to Barton Louis and Jessie Lou (J.L.) Hunt. When she was 6 months old, she moved with her parents and sisters Lynn and Betty to Bentonville, Arkansas. Gail was 5 years old when the family moved to Coffeyville.
She attended Coffeyville schools and graduated in 1964, from Field Kindley Memorial High School, where her activities included band, the Kayettes service organization, Candy Stripers, student council, Spanish Club, Sigma Pi honorary scholastic organization, Girls Athletic Association and the Drum and Bugle Corps. She was crowned football queen at Coffeyville Community Junior College and was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority at the Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg, where she graduated in 1968. Gail’s first year of teaching was at Ralph Bunche Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The following years were in Coffeyville at Longfellow, Whittier, Edgewood, and Community elementary schools. She retired after teaching 23 years and subbing for seven.
In January 1970, her sister Betty invited her friend and one-time high school prom date, Doug Misch, over for popcorn with her and Gail. It turns out Doug and Gail were a match; they married on August 1, 1970. Throughout their 55-year-marriage, they took great joy in supporting their children, Mark and Meredith, and granddaughter, Genevieve, in every way possible. They happily attended plays, recitals, ball games, Scout functions, cross country and track meets and more, near and far. They provided the same dedication to extended family and friends.
It’s a good bet that Gail’s favorite subject to teach was science. It’s hard to say which she liked best: geology, ornithology, entomology or astronomy. A lifelong learner, she filled shelves with books on birds, butterflies, trees, the solar system, rocks, insects, and more.
Much of her reading material and pastimes reflected her love of the outdoors. She, Doug, and friends made many trips to Colorado. One of her favorite gifts from Doug was a fly-fishing expedition near Gunnison. She especially enjoyed fishing, hiking, collecting rocks, and taking photos of wildflowers and wildlife (for which she won recognition).
Throughout her illness for as long as she was mobile, Gail stepped through a modified physical therapy routine almost every day. She used a cane as she navigated Solo cups placed on the floor to form a short obstacle course. As recently as 10 days before her death, she asked for her resistance band. She stayed active as long as possible and hated to give up her walks from her home on Big Hill down to LeClere Park. In past years, Gail spent many hours on the city’s golf and tennis courts. She taught tennis and played in tournaments, so she was delighted when the City Commission committed to restoring the LeClere courts and was thrilled to see the progress during the overhaul.
Gail was a faithful servant who lived with purpose. The First United Methodist Church, the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, Prairie Meadow Therapeutic Riding Academy, Chapter EZ of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, the Coffeyville Park Advisory Board and the USD 445 Board of Education were some of the organizations that benefited from her goodwill and philanthropy.
She was intelligent and inquisitive. Genuine and tender-hearted. Fair and kind. Always altruistic. She was prone to worry, but she was sustained by her deep faith in God. She faced cancer with stoicism and would often say she was thankful for each day. And she believed, as she’d written on a nightstand notecard, God’s promise from the book of Isaiah: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.”
Gail was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Lynn Mayfield and Betty Gossard; and brother-in-law Roger Gossard. She is survived by her husband, Doug; children Mark Misch of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Meredith DuPree (Ryan) along with their daughter Genevieve, the biggest delight of Gail’s last 6+ years, all of Lenexa, Kansas. Other survivors are her sister, Lee (Jeff) Martin of Independence, Kansas, along with 10 nieces and nephews and their families.
Following Gail's wishes, cremation has taken place under the direction of David W. Barnes Funeral Home in Coffeyville.
Visitation will be from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 28th and a memorial service will be on Saturday, November 29th at 10 a.m. Both will be held at the First United Methodist Church at 304 W 10th St. in Coffeyville, KS.
The family suggests contributions in Gail’s honor to The Journey Home, the First United Methodist Church of Coffeyville, the American Cancer Society; St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN, or CACF LeClare Tennis Courts these may be left with the funeral home or mailed in care of David W. Barnes Funeral Home 306 N. Cline Rd., Coffeyville, KS 67337.
To share memories or leave a condolence for the family online, visit Gail's memorial page at www.dwbfh.com
