Wilmer Gale
He was born Nov. 24, 1932, in a partially log-cabin house west of Astoria that he later helped build, the son of Mylo and Wanda Prather Gale. He married Linda Westlake on March 19, 1963, in Pocahontas, Ark. She survives. Also surviving are two children, Lori Lee (and Tim) Wendt and Robert “Snap” Preston Gale; one grandson, Dylan “Little Snap” (and Madison) Gale; two great-grandsons, Hawthorne “Hawk” Meilike and Finnegan Gale; and one great-granddaughter, Adalai Goins; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one sister, Bette (Ghlee) Calhoun; and one granddaughter, Sarah “Bug” Meilike. He landed his first job at age 13, helping out in an auto repair shop, and later went to work at Curly’s Auto Repair. He spent many years at Skiles Fertilizer before opening his own garage in 1979. He possessed exceptional mechanical and fabrication skills. Some people claimed he could diagnose a car simply by laying a hand on it. He was best known for drag racing and making big-block Chevys scream. He built a drag car called True Grit from a 1967 Camaro and became famous throughout the Midwest. He won numerous races and wheelie contests, earning a large and loyal fan base. In 2019, Central Illinois Dragway honored him as Grand Marshal during its 50th Anniversary Celebration, where he made a pass in True Grit at age 86. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 19, at Shawgo Memorial Home in Astoria. His children will be present for a visitation at the funeral home from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 18. A visitation hour will also be held with the entire family present from 10-11 a.m. before the service on June 19. Burial will be in the Astoria Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Astoria Volunteer Fire Department, 101 E. State St., Astoria. Condolences may be sent to shawgomemorialhome.com.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2026 • Vol. 149, No. 8
Wilmer Lee Gale, 93, of Astoria died June 15, 2026.
