Gayle M. Salyer

Gayle M. Salyer, 92, of the Shade area, passed away Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at Grant Medical Center in Columbus. Born in 1931 in Summit County, Ohio, he was the son of the late J. Gayle and Roxie Markland Salyer. He was raised in the Barberton area and after high school he attended the University of Kentucky for two years and graduated from Kent State University. He was a military policeman in the United States Army, serving in Germany during the Cold War. In 1958, he married his beloved wife, Artis Jones, who predeceased him in 2019. With the support of his wife, he went on to complete graduate degrees at the University of Akron and Ohio University. During those years, Gayle and Artis raised a large family together. They brought their family to Athens where he completed his Ph.D. at Ohio University. His career included positions in several Ohio school districts as an educator and coach. He was formerly employed with Concord College in Athens, WV., Carroll College in Waukesha, WI and Ohio University in Athens, OH. Gayle loved being outdoors and participating in officiating and watching sports. He was an umpire for the Athens City Recreation League from the early 1970s until the late 2010s. Gayle also greatly enjoyed the success of young people in sports and in education. For many years he officiated high school softball games in the southeastern Ohio area. In his later years, he and Artis became regular members of the Alexander Presbyterian Church in Albany. Gayle and Artis built their first two homes in Barberton and Doylestown as well as their last home in Shade. Gayle is survived by five children, Rebecca (Robert) West of Athens, Barbara Conover of Athens, Bill (Lisa) Salyer of Athens, Bobbi (Michael) Harbour of Pomeroy, and James (Leslie) Salyer of McArthur; grandchildren, Emily (Chris) Johnson, Lindsey West (BJ Humphrey), Elissa Livingston, Nate West, Abie (Courtney) Salyer, Ethan Conover, Elyse (Dustin) Eads, Eli Conover, Erik Conover, Ryan Harbour, Owen Salyer, and Olivia Salyer; great-grandchildren, Jenna, Cameron, Christopher, Calder, Jade, Hutson, Griffin, and Rowan; and his dog, Schatz. Besides his parents and wife, Artis, he was preceded in death by a brother, Robert Salyer; a son-in-law, Paul Webb; and two beloved dogs, Queenie and Cricket. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at the Alexander Presbyterian Church in Albany. Military services will be conducted by the Albany VFW Post 9893 and the Athens American Legion KT Crossen Post 21. Visitation will be held on Wednesday evening from 4:00 PM -7:00 PM at the Hughes-Moquin Funeral Home in Athens. Friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at hughesmoquinfuneralhome.com.