Gale Stapel passed away at the age of 85, on the morning of Nov. 3 from complications incurred after breaking his hip. Gale, the son of Justin and Jean Stapel, left Wisconsin as a toddler with younger brother Leighton and sister Donna during the Depression Era. His youth was spent in Valley Home where his father ran an automotive repair service. Gale attended  Oakdale High School and worked alongside his father. That training allowed him to serve as a mechanic for the U.S. Army when he was drafted. He endured the hardships of the Korean Conflict, afterward returning to his family’s ranch on 28 Mile Rd. He and his brother Leighton operated Stapel Brothers’ Automotive Repair and ranched various properties throughout the years, finally retiring in their mid-seventies. Gale liked dabbling in the stock market, enjoyed a good steak, took pleasure in teasing people and loved driving a tractor. His absence will be felt by all his family, but most greatly by his lifelong business partner, friend and brother, Leighton. His heart was at peace with God, and his family believes he is in the company of the loved ones who have gone before him.