Gaila Henry Kalandros stopped having fun here on earth January 18, 2020, and is now having a party in heaven (hopefully) where most of her husbands, friends, relatives and Red Hat buddies are now residing or will reside sooner or later.

Gaila was born January 26, 1933, in Carmi, Illinois.  Her parents, Omer Henry and Beryl Henry, were principal and teacher of one-room schools in rural Illinois.  Due to the 30's depression, the family moved to Washington, D.C. where Gaila attended John Burroughs Elementary School, Taft Junior High School and McKinley High School.

Gaila worked for the State Department, Passport Division, in Washington D.C. until her marriage to William Michael Leonard, an officer in the Air Force. During their frequent assignments throughout the United States, two children were born, Suzanne Dawn (Leonard) Wilcox and William Michael Leonard, Jr.

Gaila, the wild, experimental, half-cocked woman that she was, ultimately married and divorced three times. One of said marriages resulting in her becoming a farmer, milking cows, feeding pigs, plowing with a John Deere, baling hay and raising five additional children.

Finally, coming to her senses, she married Nickolas Kalandros with whom she had 30 wonderfully exciting and fulfilling years. During 25 of those years they successfully owned and ran six health clubs for women in Atlanta, Georgia. Nickolas was the love of her life, her soul mate and Knight in Shining Armour. He died in 2004 from heart failure, hopefully not caused by Gaila.

Gaila was half of the pair known as the "laughing sisters" with PORT, the Port Orange Travel Group to which she belonged. Her sister Sheryl Pascal Gormley, the other half of the "laughing sisters" predeceased her in January 2019.

Gaila moved to Florida and lived there for 15 years where she built a new, full life for herself.  She will be sorely missed by her neighbors (it's five o'clock somewhere), her YMCA buddies (let's meet in the lobby for jokes), her riotous Red Hat accomplices, her PORT fellow travelers (why does SHE get to sit in the front of the bus?) and her Rinky Dink Gourmet Group (Ethiopian food? I don't think so!).

Staying behind to carry on her philosophy of fun and adventure are daughter, Suzanne Dawn Wilcox; son, William Michael Leonard (Laurie); grandsons, Zane Nathaniel Wilcox (Paola), Logan Sayer Wilcox, Zachary Michael Leonard; great-grandson, Amos Sidney Wilcox; step-children Christina (Kalandros) Staryarsky (Joseph), Steven Nickolas Kalandros (Barbara); step grandchildren Nicole Danielle Staryarsky, Sophia Noel Kalandros, Cameron Nickolas Kalandros; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by sisters Sheryl Pascal Gormley (Thomas) and JoAnn Richter.

Never to be forgotten is her dearest friend, Carolyn Logan, from Atlanta who stuck with Gaila thru thick and thin.  They were the friends that knew everything about each other and loved each other anyway!!

A celebration of Gaila's life will be held in February.  Gaila requested that everyone come dressed for a party and expect to hear music from her heyday including Blueberry Hill, Ring of Fire, Pretty Woman, Hello Darlin, Help Me Make it Through the Night, All Shook Up, Great Balls of Fire, Me and Bobby McGee and many others.  Gaila also requested that everyone laugh and forget all her warts and wrinkles.  She loves you all and thanks you for being part of her wonderful life.