Gayle Allen Petefish, 76, rural Virginia, died Thursday, August 24, 2023, at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He was born February 1, 1947, in Morgan County, the son of Paul and Bertha (Winhold) Petefish. He married Rosemary Finn on September 9, 1967, in Virginia, and she survives.

He is also survived by four daughters and one son, Stephanie (Dennis) Szewczyk of Bartlett; Beverly (William) Ma of Zionsville, IN; Amanda (Neil) Zurawski of Springfield; Paul (Rochelle) Petefish of Chicago; and Danielle (Matthew) Booth of Jacksonville; and ten grandchildren, Andrew, Alex, and Samantha Szewczyk; Lisa, Alison, and James Ma; Lillian Zurawski; Emily and Hailey Booth; and Leo Petefish.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Mr. Petefish was a 1965 graduate of Virginia High School, who then went on to study at Brown’s Business College in Jacksonville Illinois. He was an accomplished lifelong farmer, retiring from the family farm, who took pleasure in grooming sheep alongside his children at numerous livestock shows.

He was an active member of St. Luke Catholic Church in Virginia and had also served on the Cass County Fair Board. Gayle enjoyed travel, visiting multiple countries.

He also had a passion for motorcycles and tinkering with electronics and radios. He was a builder with a creative and clever mind, capable of fixing and building just about anything. One of Gayle’s favorite hobbies was crafting scale model radio- controlled airplanes. Gayle was a wonderful dad who cared deeply for his family and wife Rosemary.

A funeral mass will be celebrated 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 29, 2.023, at St. Luke Catholic Church in Virginia, with burial at Walnut Ridge Cemetery. The family will meet friends from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. prior to the service at the church. Memorial gifts are suggested to Cass County Food Pantry. The Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Virginia is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be sent online at buchanancody. com.