On November 19, 2025, Gayle D. Ford, a spirited 76-year-old from Billings, Montana, died unexpectedly of natural causes at home in the presence of her family.
Born April 8, 1949, in rural Roundup to ranchers Harold and Dorothy Swanson, she carried the self-reliant character of Big Sky country from an early age, shaped by years spent riding horses across open grasslands. Her sudden passing has left a profound sense of loss in a community that valued her determined nature and quick humor.
Gayle worked for thirty years as a paralegal at a Billings law firm focused on family estate planning, where her careful attention to detail helped simplify many complex cases. After receiving a business certificate from Billings Vo-Tech in 1975, she managed her career alongside volunteer work, leading quilting classes at a local senior center that often wove in tales of Montana’s past.
As a loving mother to her sons, Travis Michael and Ryan Dale, she taught kindness through action—from scout outings in the Beartooth Mountains to preparing elk meat pies for family holiday meals. Widowed in 2010 after 45 years of marriage to her husband Dale, a retired oil field mechanic, Gayle cherished her seven grandchildren, arranging yearly camping trips to Red Lodge where shared laughter reflected her blend of resilience and warmth.
Her daily habits celebrated the uncomplicated pleasures of Montana life. She often walked beside the Yellowstone River, pursuing her interest in photographing wildflowers—images she compiled into albums for family members.
A dedicated reader of Western fiction, she led book discussions in her home library, strengthening friendships over coffee and conversations about pioneering women. Her involvement at First Presbyterian Church motivated quiet generosity, such as taking meals to homebound neighbors, living out her conviction that a community is an extended family.
In her free time, Gayle cultivated heirloom tomatoes in her garden, exchanging her harvests for seeds and stories at local farmers markets. She collected antique spurs, displayed on her mantel as mementos of younger days at rodeos, and spent evenings knitting scarves for charitable distributions. Her self-sufficient spirit was evident in solo road trips to Glacier National Park, where she wrote journal entries that later inspired heartfelt letters to her relatives.
A service in her memory will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Billings on December 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., with visitation beginning at noon. Arrangements are being overseen by Dahl Funeral Chapel. In place of floral tributes, the family suggests contributions to the Montana Senior Center Network in recognition of Gayle’s volunteer commitment.