Le was born Gae LeAnne Mitzner (Miller) May 24, 1946 in Spokane, Washington to parents Patricia and Gaylord Mitzner. Le later changed her name to Gae LeAnne Miller after her mother remarried Edwin Eugine Miller. Le has two surviving siblings, Marcia Emery and Tom Miller.
Le was an “Airforce Brat,” and the family followed Ed as he was stationed in several different states during the course of her childhood. In 1964, she graduated from Travis High School in Austin, Texas. She started college at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan and transferred her sophomore year to Texas State University (formerly known as Texas State Teachers College) in San Marcos, Texas. In 1968, she received her teaching certificate from Midwestern State University and later that year she married fellow graduate, Carl Newton. Her first teaching job was in Wichita Falls and the couple later moved to Denver, Colorado. Le worked at J.C.Penny until the birth of their first child, Jessica Ann in 1973, followed by Patricia Vernetta in 1974, and Billy Walker in 1977.
Le baked birthday cakes from scratch, and made a mean coleslaw and potato salad. While the kids were in elementary school, she volunteered as “The Picture Lady,” where she introduced elementary school students to the world of art. She liked to go “honkey tonking” with her girl friends and she packed up all 3 kids and went to Cheyane Frontier Days several times. She tutored the kids on “Who’s Who” of Rock-N-Roll and Country Music. When she heard on the radio that Elvis Presely died, she claimed she almost drove into a ditch. Red Rocks in Colorado was her favorite place to see Willie Nelson, The Charlie Daniels Band, and Neil Diamond to name a few. During those years, she took extra college courses so she could take a job as an elementary school special education teacher.
In 1987, Le and the kids moved to San Marcos, Texas where she worked as a substitute teacher. She met Steve Haase in 1991 and on March 11, 2010 they “officially” married in San Antonio, Texas. They were together for 31 years.
Le’s hobbies revolved around the arts. While painting, she loved using all kinds of mediums including oil paints, acrylics, coffee, charcoal pencils, colored pencils, and pens. She has sold several pieces of art and has published a few of her poems. She was extremely well read and enjoyed non-fiction books about art, history, poetry, and religion. Le loved playing her piano and keyboard. Her guilty pleasures involved watching the Denver Broncos, Monday night wrestling, Walker Texas Ranger, and the X-Files among others. Her favorite meal was “Chinese Stir-Fry” but she loved all things chocolate and coffee. She enjoyed spending time with all of her grandchildren.
Le is survived by her husband Steven P. Haase and three children: Jessica Anne Greenway, Patricia Vernetta Oliver, and Billy Walker Newton. Le has 10 grandchildren: Kara Ashley Oliver, William Shane Grimes, Lauren Kate Oliver, Meaghan Elizabeth Greenway, Sebastian Wayne Grimes, Nicholas James Greenway, Killian Frederick Newton, Benjamin Carl Greenway, Abigail Antonia Newton, and Daniel Emory Hannon.
On March 3, 2022, a Celebration of Le’s Life will be held at the Memorial Auditorium in the Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway San Antonio, TX 78209, from 12 pm to 2 pm. Following the celebration, a memorial service will begin at 3 pm at Holy Cross Cemetery, 17501 Nacogdoches Rd, San Antonio, TX 78266.
If you would like to join the Celebration of Life via livestream, below is the Zoom link with the meeting ID and passcode.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89850108377?pwd=RXJrbUh0Z0JGNGdRU0VRSG0xUFRNZz09
Meeting ID: 89850108377
Passcode: welcome123
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.SunsetNorthFuneralHome.com for the Haase family.
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