Gaile Annette Thulson

Gaile Annette Golike Thulson was born in Alton, Illinois on May 21st, 1953 to Charles (Chuck) and Lois Golike. She lived near Alton in Fosterburg, Illinois with her parents and older brother Dan for a few years before moving to a farm in Minnesota, where her younger brother Kevin was born. It was there, at four years of age, that she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior. When she was eleven years old, she and her family moved to western Colorado; living at first in Grand Junction, but later moving west to a ranch near Loma.

After high school, Gaile attended Wheaton College in Illinois. While a student there, Gaile spent a summer teaching Vacation Bible School in rural Alaska and another summer in Israel, including time spent on an archaeological dig at Beersheba. She met her husband Mark at Wheaton not long before they graduated in 1975. Gaile and Mark were married on June 19th, 1976 in Denver and made their first home together there.

Gaile’s life exemplified her love of learning, teaching, writing, her family, and, most of all, her love for her Lord Jesus and his Word. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Wheaton with a double major in Biblical Archaeology and Elementary Education. She went on to receive a master’s degree in Old Testament from Denver Seminary, and two more degrees in Gifted and Talented Education and Educational Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado.

Gaile taught every age level from pre-school to graduate school, including in public schools, private Christian and Orthodox Jewish schools, and as an adjunct faculty member at Denver Seminary (teaching Hebrew) and Colorado Christian University. Most of all, she loved studying and teaching the Bible, which she often did at church and at home.

She was a voracious reader, and her love of writing ultimately led to publishing a series of three novels, all aimed at conveying God’s love and plan of salvation. Her final illness made it difficult to write, but she persevered and finished the third book in April 2022, followed by two additional books in July and August 2022.

Gaile’s many other gifts and interests included singing and playing the piano, gardening, riding horses, hiking in the beauty of God’s creation, travel, and photography. She delighted in showing hospitality, whether hosting family gatherings, church groups, or visiting friends. Her seven grandsons have been one of the greatest joys of her life, along with her two sons and their wives. She greatly enriched the lives of her family, friends, students, and everyone else she encountered.

After suffering from cancer for four years, Gaile succumbed to its effects and went home to be with Jesus on September 10th, 2022. She is survived, and will be sorely missed, by her husband Mark; son Timothy, his wife Mary, and their four boys Benjamin, Samuel, Isaiah, and Daniel; son David, his wife Rebecca, and their three boys William, Theodore, and Isaac; and brother Kevin Golike and his wife Gloria. She was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Lois Golike and her brother Daniel Golike.