Gayle Williams Koonce
Mrs. Gayle Williams Koonce, age 79 of Alexandria, passed away Thursday, August 1, 2024 at Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital.
Patsy Gayle Williams Koonce was born on January 26, 1945 in Winnfield, Louisiana, the first daughter of Audrey and Edna Williams of Ward 10 in Northwest Winn Parish. She died on August 1, after surviving a lengthy battle with rheumatoid arthritis and multiple myeloma.
Gayle was preceded in death by her husband John Ray Koonce; her parents Audrey and Edna Williams; her paternal grandparents Carl and Lydia Williams and her maternal grandparents Ezra and Reudell Hattaway.
She is survived by her siblings Reggie and Celie Williams of Winnfield; Lisa and Michael Chevy Castranova of Columbia, Missouri; Vonda and Jim Oliver of Hodge and by her beloved standard poodle Bentley. In addition, she leaves behind a host of close friends from her childhood and career.
As a child, Gayle and her cousins played in the woods building makeshift playhouses with old stoves. Younger brother Reggie played with them too, even though he was the only boy. Whenever grandmother Reudell Hattaway and Aunt Charlotte Grigg couldn’t find their cooking tools, the first place they would look was the playhouse in the woods.
She loved watching old westerns, especially ones with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. She rode her bicycle and pretended to be Annie Oakley, shooting road signs with her BB gun.
Gayle graduated from Calvin High School in 1963. She received her bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Northwestern State Uni-versity and her master’s in dietetics from the University of Southern Mississippi.
It was at North-western where she met the love of her life, John Ray Koonce, a talented musician. After their first date, John said he was going to marry her, to which Gayle replied, “Oh, you think so?”
Upon graduation, John joined the military and they lived in San Antonio and Anchorage. They lived in San Diego before moving back to Louisiana and making a home in Metairie. In 2000, John and Gayle moved closer to family when she took a job as a dietician at the VA Hospital in Pineville.
Gayle’s love of animals was evident to all who knew her. This was likely developed from time spent with her grandfather Ezra Hattaway helping care for his fox hounds. From her first dog as a teen, Smartie Gal, to Bentley, her surviving standard poodle, there was a long line of pets. In the 70s and 80s, she and John enjoyed their four Tennessee Walking Horses. But it was the standard poodle that captured her heart most. Sonny, Rebel, Austin and Bentley, all champions in the show ring.
Gayle also loved music, and played piano and guitar as a teen. She and John attended many concerts. In recent years, Gayle loved going to the symphony with friends.
John died in 2003 after a brief illness with a rare kidney cancer. Gayle nursed John to the end and after he was gone, never stopped missing him.
In recent years, Gayle persevered in spite of serious illnesses, enjoying life, family and friends. Her departure leaves a hole in our lives.
Funeral Services for Mrs. Koonce were held Tuesday, August 6, 2024 at 11:00 AM in the Southern Funeral Home Chapel, Interment followed in the Antioch Community Cemetery under the direction of Southern Funeral Home of Winnfield.
Friends visited with the family in the funeral home on Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until time of services.
Friends may express condolences to the family online by visiting southernfuneralhome.com.