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Dr. Gail A. Walenga, 75, passed away with family by her bedside on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at IU Health Arnett Hospital in Lafayette.
She was born on Feb. 29, 1948, in Michigan City to Eugene E. and Theresa Przybylinski Walenga. She attended St. Stanislaus Grade School, graduated from Michigan City Elston High School with the class of 1966 and went on to attend Michael Reese School of Nursing in Chicago. Gail went back for her undergraduate in sociology at UCLA and got her Masters and PhD from the University of South California, and forever became a Trojan fan. She would begin her career working at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angelos. She also took a part-time job at night teaching student health to teachers in their master’s programs at University of Southern California.
While writing her doctoral dissertation, her computer died on her. She went to the local computer shop, where she was helped by a gentleman that not only set her up with a new computer but aided in her second emergency when the floppy disk that had the only copy of her dissertation paper, wouldn’t read it in the new computer, and he was able to recover her data. They went on a few lunch dates after that day and played racquet ball together. When the timing was right, he asked for her hand.
On Jan. 14, 2001, Gail married Steven K. Schuhle at the Bel Air Bay Club in Malibu, Calif.
Gail was a kid at heart and being so, added to her passion and calling as a pediatric nurse. Gail was the director of nursing for Shriner’s Hospitals for Children and worked her way to administrator. She served as the director of pediatrics and genetics at Cedar-Sinai Hospitals. She was the director of ambulatory care of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
She was the assistant vice president of student health services at Miami of Ohio. She served as administrator for Purdue University Student Health (PUSH). Gail played a huge pivotal role in getting Purdue University and the Big 12 Conference through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gail’s lust in her career was to make nurses better and to teach the next generation. She was always upbeat and smiling, very determined, and saw the good in all things. She was steadfast and always kept calm in a crisis.
She enjoyed crocheting, traveling to eat, was a wine connoisseur and loved taking pictures of the sky. Family was very important, from blood to those she gained as family throughout her lifetime.
Gail is deeply missed by her husband, Steve, of Dayton; her brother, Nicholas (Beth) Walenga, of Warsaw; brother-in-law, Douglas (Kimberly) Schuhle, of Beaver Dam, Va.; father-in-law, Roger A. (Joanne) Schuhle, of Williamsburg, Va.; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Greg Walenga.
A memorial Mass will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 125 N. Harrison St., Warsaw, with Father Jonathan Norton officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: Bladder Cancer Research (028439) c/o Purdue College of Vet Med, Attn: Julie Bogan, 625 Harrison St., Suite 1177A, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Make checks payable to Purdue Foundation OR Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, online at www.shrinerschildrens.org or by mail at 2900 Rocky Point Dr, Tampa FL 33607.
Condolences may be sent to the family through the website: www.mchattonsadlerfuneralchapels.com.
