Gil's obituary from the November 18, 1996 edition of the Lansing State Journal:
Gilson Pearsall, former mayor of Mason and a Pattengill Middle School teacher, died Saturday. He was 84.
Pearsall, first elected to the Mason City Council in 1957, was mayor from 1962-67, which included Mason's centennial.
He was on the Pattengill staff 28 years, from 1946 to 1974, as a teacher and chairman of the science department and a counselor.
He also accepted a challenge from one of his students and played piano in the school talent show.
"He was telling the kids in his home room, "If I could play the piano like you, I'd sogn up for the talent show.'" Suzanne Budd, one of Pearsall's daughters said Sunday. "One of the kids said, 'Mr. Pearsall, why don't you learn to play the piano." So for a whole year he took piano lessons, and the next year he played this one piece in the talent show."
Pearsall also had talent as a gardener and grew vegetables at his house on Elm Street where he also taught many children how to garden.
"He gave a lot of them away, especially to the people in the Cherry Grove Apartments, up until about three years ago," said Budd, of Mason.
An avid hunter and fisherman, he and his wife of 64 years, Katherine, had one of the first swimming pools in Mason in the early 1960s. The local Boy Scout troop -- organized by Pearsall as the first in Mason -- used the pool for merit badge training.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Warren.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Pearsall is survived by two other daughters, Margo Corkins of Ypsilanti and Connie London of River Hills, Wis.
Visitation at Gorsline-Runciman Ball-Dunn Chapel in Mason will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday with burial to follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Mason.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 271 Woodland Pass, Suite 100, East Lansing, Mich. 48823.
Not included in his obituary was the fact that he taught history at Mason High School, in Mason, Michigan.
Gilson Pearsall, former mayor of Mason and a Pattengill Middle School teacher, died Saturday. He was 84.
Pearsall, first elected to the Mason City Council in 1957, was mayor from 1962-67, which included Mason's centennial.
He was on the Pattengill staff 28 years, from 1946 to 1974, as a teacher and chairman of the science department and a counselor.
He also accepted a challenge from one of his students and played piano in the school talent show.
"He was telling the kids in his home room, "If I could play the piano like you, I'd sogn up for the talent show.'" Suzanne Budd, one of Pearsall's daughters said Sunday. "One of the kids said, 'Mr. Pearsall, why don't you learn to play the piano." So for a whole year he took piano lessons, and the next year he played this one piece in the talent show."
Pearsall also had talent as a gardener and grew vegetables at his house on Elm Street where he also taught many children how to garden.
"He gave a lot of them away, especially to the people in the Cherry Grove Apartments, up until about three years ago," said Budd, of Mason.
An avid hunter and fisherman, he and his wife of 64 years, Katherine, had one of the first swimming pools in Mason in the early 1960s. The local Boy Scout troop -- organized by Pearsall as the first in Mason -- used the pool for merit badge training.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Warren.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Pearsall is survived by two other daughters, Margo Corkins of Ypsilanti and Connie London of River Hills, Wis.
Visitation at Gorsline-Runciman Ball-Dunn Chapel in Mason will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday with burial to follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Mason.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 271 Woodland Pass, Suite 100, East Lansing, Mich. 48823.
Not included in his obituary was the fact that he taught history at Mason High School, in Mason, Michigan.
Gil's obituary from the November 18, 1996 edition of the Lansing State Journal:
Gilson Pearsall, former mayor of Mason and a Pattengill Middle School teacher, died Saturday. He was 84.
Pearsall, first elected to the Mason City Council in 1957, was mayor from 1962-67, which included Mason's centennial.
He was on the Pattengill staff 28 years, from 1946 to 1974, as a teacher and chairman of the science department and a counselor.
He also accepted a challenge from one of his students and played piano in the school talent show.
"He was telling the kids in his home room, "If I could play the piano like you, I'd sogn up for the talent show.'" Suzanne Budd, one of Pearsall's daughters said Sunday. "One of the kids said, 'Mr. Pearsall, why don't you learn to play the piano." So for a whole year he took piano lessons, and the next year he played this one piece in the talent show."
Pearsall also had talent as a gardener and grew vegetables at his house on Elm Street where he also taught many children how to garden.
"He gave a lot of them away, especially to the people in the Cherry Grove Apartments, up until about three years ago," said Budd, of Mason.
An avid hunter and fisherman, he and his wife of 64 years, Katherine, had one of the first swimming pools in Mason in the early 1960s. The local Boy Scout troop -- organized by Pearsall as the first in Mason -- used the pool for merit badge training.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Warren.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Pearsall is survived by two other daughters, Margo Corkins of Ypsilanti and Connie London of River Hills, Wis.
Visitation at Gorsline-Runciman Ball-Dunn Chapel in Mason will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday with burial to follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Mason.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 271 Woodland Pass, Suite 100, East Lansing, Mich. 48823.
Not included in his obituary was the fact that he taught history at Mason High School, in Mason, Michigan.
Gilson Pearsall, former mayor of Mason and a Pattengill Middle School teacher, died Saturday. He was 84.
Pearsall, first elected to the Mason City Council in 1957, was mayor from 1962-67, which included Mason's centennial.
He was on the Pattengill staff 28 years, from 1946 to 1974, as a teacher and chairman of the science department and a counselor.
He also accepted a challenge from one of his students and played piano in the school talent show.
"He was telling the kids in his home room, "If I could play the piano like you, I'd sogn up for the talent show.'" Suzanne Budd, one of Pearsall's daughters said Sunday. "One of the kids said, 'Mr. Pearsall, why don't you learn to play the piano." So for a whole year he took piano lessons, and the next year he played this one piece in the talent show."
Pearsall also had talent as a gardener and grew vegetables at his house on Elm Street where he also taught many children how to garden.
"He gave a lot of them away, especially to the people in the Cherry Grove Apartments, up until about three years ago," said Budd, of Mason.
An avid hunter and fisherman, he and his wife of 64 years, Katherine, had one of the first swimming pools in Mason in the early 1960s. The local Boy Scout troop -- organized by Pearsall as the first in Mason -- used the pool for merit badge training.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Warren.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Pearsall is survived by two other daughters, Margo Corkins of Ypsilanti and Connie London of River Hills, Wis.
Visitation at Gorsline-Runciman Ball-Dunn Chapel in Mason will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday with burial to follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Mason.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 271 Woodland Pass, Suite 100, East Lansing, Mich. 48823.
Not included in his obituary was the fact that he taught history at Mason High School, in Mason, Michigan.
Gravesite Details
Husband of Katherine Pearsall. Veteran of World War II.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
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