Paula Elaine Gusler Lathem Day; May 24, 2012
Paula Elaine (Gusler Lathem) Day, 62, of Madison, passed on May 24, 2012 after a valiant battle with cancer.
The family received friends from 1 to 3 p.m.; and services followed at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29 at Berryhill Funeral Home, 2305 North Memorial Parkway, the Senior Associate Pastor Tommy Gray of Asbury United Methodist Church officiated. Burial service followed at Madison Memory Gardens, Hughes Road, Madison.
A separate memorial service was held in Amarillo, Texas on Thursday, May 31 at the Hillside Christian Church Chapel at 1 p.m. Pastor Michael Nuthman officiated. For more information, contact Hillside Christian Church, Amarillo, Texas.
Mrs. Day was born November 02, 1949 in Amarillo, Texas as the only daughter of Paul S. Gusler and Mildred Scroggins Gusler. She attended Avondale Elementary, Sam Houston Middle and graduated from Tascosa High School in 1968, where she was active in the school choir (All-City), swim team, Girl Scouts of America, band and Paramount Terrace Christian Church. She received her Bachelors in Art Education (all levels) from West Texas A & M (State University) in May, 1973 and continued her Girl Scouts camp counselor role (certified swimming and canoeing instructor) and WT marching band during that time. After college graduation, she taught in Trinidad (CO) at Elkhart Elementary and Trinidad Junior College, studied art in Europe and taught art in Amarillo, Texas, at River Road School District. While at River Road, she took twelve high school students to Europe to study art in eleven countries. She also taught continuing education art at Amarillo Junior College. Paula then moved to Houston, Texas where she pursued a career with MetLife Corporation serving as a Business Estate Liaison. She had her only daughter and became a loving mother to Lesley M. Lathem in 1982. In 1990, Paula returned to Amarillo to teach at Highland Park Elementary School District. From 1990 until her retirement in 2009, she served as the HS Art Teacher, the Fine Arts Department Chairwoman (Art, Music, Drama and Band) for grades K-12, Class Sponsorships, Veteran’s Day Activities Chairwoman and the National Honor Society Sponsor at Highland Park High School.
Paula was accomplished in many art mediums including, stipple drawing, water color, acrylics, pen and ink, ceramics and Native American crafts. She was very grateful for her interaction with her students and she touched many of them in a very positive and creative way. Her paternal grandmother Gusler taught her the joy of and love of needle artwork that carried through her entire life, with Paula creating a wide range of artistic creations. She was very talented in needlework and gave many of her beautiful creations to family members and friends. Each work was a labor of love that she created as a token of how dear she held their friendship. Paula also was blessed with the love of writing and wrote for the Romance Writers of America from 1992 – 1997. She was honored to receive multiple state and national awards recognition for her novels, including: “Passion’s Doorway” (Category: Historical Romance, 1992); “Forever This Time” (Category: Futuristic/Fantasy/Paranormal, 1993); “Sweet Madness” (Category: Paranormal, 1993) “On the Far Side” (Category: Time Travel, 1996); and “Cimarron Secrets” (Paranormal/Fantasy, 1997).
Paula deeply loved the outdoors and traveled extensively, spending time in National and State Parks in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming to hike and camp in her favorites that included: and Bryce Canyon, Canyon Lands, Grand Tetons, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone and Zion National Parks, Grand Staircase Escalante, Sangria de Cristo Mountains, and Palo Duro Canyon.
In the fall of 2008, she met Mr. Lawrence (Larry) Day at their 40th Tascosa High School Reunion in Amarillo, Texas and they were married on August 30, 2009 in Hillside Christian Church. Paula then retired from the Highland Park School District in 2009 and moved to Madison, . Paula loved the North Alabama area where she made many new dear friends; and was able to explore and experience her nurturing love of gardening and horticulture, attending the Huntsville Symphony, bluegrass festivals, updating their Madison home and also took up golf. She loved sports and enjoyed both BJHS Lacrosse (stepson, Travis Day) and University of Alabama football. She and Larry are members of Asbury United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Day was preceded in death by her father, Paul Gusler of Amarillo, Texas on October 17, 2011.
Survivors include her husband, Lawrence (Larry) Day of Madison; her daughter, Lesley Lathem of Dallas, Texas; her stepson, Travis Day of Tuscaloosa; her mother, Mildred Scroggins Gusler of Amarillo, Texas; her brother, James (Jim) Wilson III and wife Linda of Lynchburg, Va.; two uncles, Jack Gusler and wife Nancy of Houston, Texas and Frank (“Gus”) Gusler and wife Carrie of Forney, Texas; and nephews/nieces including Todd Wilson and wife Jackie of Indiana; Laina Storlie and husband Glenn of Amarillo, Texas; Christi Mastripolito and husband Tim of Pennsylvania; Jamey Green of Amarillo, Texas; Joshua Wilson and wife Cheryl of Toronto, Canada; Maj. Mark McGovern and wife Monique of Richmond, Va.; eleven great-nieces/nephews, David Storlie, Alyssa Wilson, Shelby Wilson, Ella Wilson, Ashlee Roarke, Alexis Roarke, Sam Wilson, Emily Wilson, Trevor Green, Matthew McGovern, Mia McGovern; and a great-great nephew, Avery Butkowski.
For further information, contact Berryhill Funeral Home, 256-536-9197. The family requests that any memorial donations be made to Russell Hill Cancer Foundation, Huntsville, .
Online condolences may be made or viewed at http://obits.al.com/obituaries/huntsville.
