Gail Brito

Gail Brito (nee Raymond), age 77, of Grayslake, IL, passed away peacefully in her home on August, 22, 2020, with her family by her side.

It would be wrong to say that Gail lost her battle because she never stopped fighting.  No matter how weak her body became, her spirit stayed strong as she faced each challenge with a brave face and sweet smile.  She brought joy and humor to all who knew her.

Formerly of Chicago, she was a 1960 graduate of Gage Park High School, received her B.S. from NIU in 1964 and culminated her teaching career by completing her Master’s degree in 1997 at St. Xavier University.

Throughout her 30+ years as a teacher, mostly teaching 3rd grade at Woodland Elementary School, her quirky sense of humor put her students at ease as she inspired them to do their best.  She showed her love for her students in many ways, such as delivering books door to door to their homes in the summer, creating personalized hand-crafted gifts for Christmas and providing piano accompaniment for countless kindergarten music programs.

Her love of language, words and puzzles showed through as she enjoyed many hours solving crossword puzzles, creating hink-pinks, telling third-grade jokes and solving sudoku puzzles.  Gail’s cherished family recipes were always a hit at holidays and family gatherings.  She was well-known for her famous Potato Salad.  She enjoyed playing the piano throughout her life, even performing a few times with her husband as he played the drums.

Gail is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Joseph, her daughters Elaine (Jon) Shifflett and Erika (Bruce) Varela, her 5 grandchildren (Samantha, Aidan, Kyle, Kayla & Tyler) and her sisters, LaVerne Roy and Janet Raymond-Clark.  She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Lorraine Raymond.

Visitation will be from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29th, 2020 at Warren Funeral Home and Cemetery located at 1475 N. Cemetery Rd. Gurnee, IL.

In accordance with current State of Illinois mandates due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all guests will be required to wear a face mask at all times.  There will be a maximum of 50 people allowed in the funeral home at a time and proper social distancing must be practiced.  We thank you for your cooperation.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either Shriners Hospitals for Children or Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Warren Funeral Home and Cemetery is assisting the family.