Norwich bulletin., 1919-05-26
PAY FINAL TRIBUTE TO
 COL, CHARLES w. GALE

The luHeFdl SeTN1CeS TOT COl. CndrleS W. Gale, which were held at the Gen. tral Baptist church on Saturday aft ernoon, were attended by hundreds of friends of the deceased from all parts of the country who assembled to pay their tribute to one dearly beloved by all A prayer service was held at MT. Gales late residence. Pinehurst. at which Rev. C. H. Ricketts officiated with only those of the immediate fam fly present.
 The services in the Central Baptist church were held at o'clock and before the services Miss Louise u.- Ter, organist, rendered Shubert's Death .5ong,' Chopin's Funeral March and Batistes Funeral March. As recessional Naycocks naarcn, soIemne was played by the organ ist. Rev. Arthur F. Purkiss, paa.or of the church, was unable to be pres- ent owing to being at convention in Denver. In his place Rev. MT. Rick etts conducted the services, offering prayer, and George A. Turner rendered My Ttask, favorite hymn of the de- ceased. Rev. MT. Ricnetts reau lru h l the scriptures and delivered the eulogy which was touching and impressive. 1 . Rev. MT. Rieketts spoke as follows: Many years ago a man, then 1 stranger here, was invited to take 1 part in memorial service in this l church. He was met in the vestibule i by large man of dignified appear l ance with a kindly face, who gave him the glad hand of welcome. 1nere
 Was sometnlng so cordial and human about it that it made him feel at home here at once and he has loved this i church ever since. And during these l hoo tad l&a e
 never withdrawn that kindly hand i At this part of the church, Dr. Herr, i then pastor, also received the strang- 1 CT with the utmost cordiality. But i those two thorough going Christians, | one layman and the other a minis ter were translated in the same way, ! the latter about a dozen years ago; the other last Wednesday. The Mas ter touched them very gently but very
 suddenly, and said: Come up highen'' It may be that when this man, no l longer stranger, shall enter the vestibule of the church triumphant,
 they will be there to give him the
 sd .ie glad hand of welcome.
 When the news was flashed abroad late Wednesday afternoon that Col
 Gale was gone I think we were at first dazed. for so many of us had
 seen him during the day that we
 thought it was some mistake. We could not realize that the familiar figure probably no man ever passed
 from this community of whom SC
 nany said at the news of his death:
 What shall we do without him?'
 For It is an indisputabie fact that no tman in New London county. past or
 present, ever gave such willing finan-
 cial advice to so many small investors
 as he. He was always so genial, SC
 approachable, so full of the spirit oi
 hefpfulness and so broadly sympathe-
 tic that he never repelled the most
 tinlid.
 But at length the tears came tc
 these poor eyes at the thought that
 we should see him no more under
 these delightful human conditions
 no more friendly and. at the same time, expect advice; no further con- : tact with personality, that was al once inspiring and uplifting. I think of Norwich can ill afford to lose suct r'o-' hA"au~0 individuality leaves nc successor. Other men may be equally l,Io E Gut ifo two men are strone
 along precisely the same lines.
 But a certain joy mingled with oul
 sorrow when we thought of his year. and rounded out life. Back of hi: 3 genial good natured ways we recogniz. $ ed the man of strength, the capable official, the citizen of honor and in
 tegrity, the man of versatility wht recognized his duty to society. I sha1
 think of Col. Gale. first of all. as . :, banker whose life virtually has beer identified with the growth of a grea
 institution. Here he was uniformly
 promoted until he became the pre-
 dominating spirit His life as Z r banker is a good illustration of wha may be accomplished by q persisten 2 devotion to duty.
 i In the next place shall think O I him as a good church member. H, loved this church with which he hat = been connected so many years. H, 3 was wise enough to see that any mar who works. to make his church strons
 becomes correspondinglv strong him
 self. There is no single asset tina s makes church so rich as half cen
 tury of devoted service from any on of it's members. Tn this work shal think of him, as I know you do as tn : willing and able musician who gay, i what he had as consecrated gift t,
 his Lord and Master.
 I shall think of him as a man wh, donned the uniform of his country for it was fitting that man who hat
 the soldiers spirit should wear tn
 soldiers uniform. Here again hi
 worth was seen in the rapidity of hi n promotion. I shall think of him als }, as a man so inbued with the fraterna e and benevolent spirit as rising step b, p step until he reaches the summit 0
 Masoa1a seGefA And thus his Tiff