Gail D. Nickerson died at her home in Buena Vista, Va. on Oct. 19, 2024. The cause was complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 75.
The daughter of Albert Henry Nickerson and Wilma (Cole) Nickerson, Gail was born on Nov. 20, 1948 in Hyannis. She grew up in Eastham at a time when several neighboring families owned horses. She learned to ride as a child and got her first horse while still in high school. Horses remained central to her life.
After graduating from Nauset High School in 1966, Gail attended Cape Cod Community College for a few semesters before heading north to ski. “She was a bit of a ski bum,” her sister Leyla said.
When Gail moved to the Boston area, she mastered the art of heliarc welding, a precision form of welding used on stainless steel with applications in aerospace and shipbuilding. She worked for Vacuum Barrier in Woburn for a few years before moving in 1980 to New Hampshire, where she spent most of her adult life.
Gail worked as a welder and a house painter, and her house was always filled with cats and dogs that she loved — but not as deeply as she loved her horse, Abe.
Gail had a strong personality. “She could be frank about her political opinions and never shied away from an argument,” Leyla said. Her strength, determination, and curiosity propelled her back to school at the University of Maine at Machias in the 1990s to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She graduated with honors.
She subsequently taught welding at Concord Technical High School in New Hampshire. The Concord Monitor wrote a story about her because “at the time it was unusual for a woman to teach welding,” Leyla said.
As she approached 70 and thought of retirement, Gail was drawn to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, the nearby mountains and the abundance of horse farms in the area being the main attractions. “She wanted a warm place for herself and her horse, Abe, who she raised from a colt,” Leyla said.
Her presence drew the attention of the locals, some of whom were taken aback by her directness, but they chalked that up to her being a Yankee. “They appreciated that about her,” Leyla said. “She was unforgettable.”
And she never forgot her Eastham origins. “Her heart always longed for the seashore of Cape Cod,” Leyla mused.
Gail is survived by her sister, Leyla Nickerson of Harwich Port; her brother Brad Nickerson of Asheville, N.C.; and several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.
She was predeceased by a brother, Jim Henry Nickerson; a sister, Wilma Hayashi; and nephews Paul Nickerson and Devon Burgess.
A memorial gathering was held on Oct. 27, 2024, in Lexington, Va.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gail’s memory to New England Equine Rescue — North.
