Gail Sterback

Gail Sterback, formerly of Lancaster and recently of Fayetteville, NC, passed from this earth peacefully at home just after noon on November 12, 2021, surrounded by family and friends.

She was born in New York on July 1, 1944.  Gail was the second child of Robert and Mabel McIndoe who both preceded her in death.  Gail was a graduate of Hood College, Maryland, and a fixture in the Lancaster community for over 40 years.

She was an art teacher in the SOLANCO School District during her first years in Lancaster.  She followed her first husband to Pittsburg and Harrisburg, and after their divorce she and her two sons Robert and William Charles returned to the familiarity and warmth of Lancaster in 1981.  There she met and married her beloved husband of 34 years John D. Sterback.  Gail and Jack were married at Church of the Apostles in Lancaster on March 21, 1987.

Gail worked for Franklin and Marshall College in the career placement office, for the Pennsylvania School of Art and Design and for Coldwell Banker and Jack Gaughan Real Estate.  Although she never returned to teaching directly, her mentoring impacted people at every stop in her professional career.  Many a senior at F&M was guided toward their first job interview with Gail’s attention to resume detail, professional dress etiquette and perhaps a borrowed tie.

While serving as the President for PSA&D her pioneering spirit moved the school from Marrietta to its current location on Prince Street in downtown Lancaster. While there Gail mentored many students and peers, always giving professional and personal advice that many would say was practical and life changing.  While working as a property manager and senior administrator with Coldwell Banker, Gail coached and inspired many young agents to success.  One of her proudest professional moments was her inspired leadership of the Dillsburg Jack Gaughan Real Estate Office, where she successfully managed the branch during financially bleak times in the real estate industry.

Gail was a consummate professional, in a time when pay disparity between men and women was blatantly noticeable.  She worked a full-time job and still managed to find the time and energy to be a full-time mom to her two sons.  Never one to complain, her example in life demonstrated that hard work was the key to success.  She attended her children’s sporting events, school plays and boardroom meetings alike, carrying the same distinguished and elegant personality everywhere.

In their free time, Gail and Jack spent many weekends with their family at the Chesapeake Bay on their boat.  She had an avid green thumb and spent countless hours manicuring and cultivating her flower beds and the landscape of her home.  Her passion for helping stray animals led to many family pets that were rescued from a far less loving fate.

Her ability to continue working was diminished when Gail was diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis in 2009.  PLS is a rare condition in the ALS family.  She and Jack recently moved to Fayetteville, NC to be closer to family in March 2021.

Gail is survived by her husband Jack Sterback; her brother Robert McIndoe, his wife Margaret and their children David and Anne; her two sons Robert and William Charles and their wives Jill and Amy Charles; her 7 grandchildren Ashley, Ethan, Amanda, Jordan, KJ, Gabbie and Logan; as well as 5 greatgrandchildren.

Gail will be interred at Church of the Apostles on Marrietta Avenue, Lancaster in a private ceremony for family and close friends.  A celebration of Gail’s life will be held after the New Year in Lancaster at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider donating to the ALS Foundation, an organization that provided so much comfort, care and education to Gail and her family as she battled the disease.