Born May 16, 1941, in Watertown, Massachusetts, Gail Meredith (Townsend) Jean passed away peacefully on Oct. 13, 2022.

As a young woman attending Milford High School, Gail loved speeding around town in her black Thunderbird. She was fortunate to have a group of lifelong school friends that continued to meet for lunch, shopping and gossip throughout their lives, even social distancing in backyards during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 1956, Gail met the love of her life, Philip Jean, on the Milford Oval. Through 52 years of marriage, they raised four boys, spent their summers camping at Hermit Island in Maine and enjoyed outdoor activities together, including kayaking, motorcycle riding and snowshoeing. After Phil passed in 2011, Gail loved to tell stories about his time in the military, their first dog and his dedication to building a life for their family.

Gail worked part-time for American Greeting Cards and volunteered at the Milford Schools her sons attended. She was also actively involved in starting the local chapter of the Women on Wheels motorcycle club. Gail was a self-taught accomplished artist, and her interests included clipping articles out of the newspaper and magazines to share with others, reading books and spending time with family and friends.

Gail will be missed by all who had the great fortune to know her. In addition to her husband, Phil, Gail was predeceased by her sister, Beverly Belden. She also leaves behind four sons, Michael and his wife, Katy, Marc, Matthew and his wife, Sissy, and Christopher; granddaughter, Melissa Tousignant and her husband, Jeff; sister, Julie Townsend-Love and husband, Peter; brother, Jim Townsend and partner, Paula Shea, and a very special family friend, Tarah Furtado.

Memorial visiting hours are on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, from 4-6 p.m. in the Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm St., Milford, N.H. A graveside service will be on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, at noon in Riverside Cemetery, 454 Nashua St., Milford. Donations in Gail’s memory may be made to Community Hospice House, c/o Home Health & Hospice Care, 7 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, N.H. 03054 or online at www.hhhc.org. Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, Milford. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com.