Gail W. Brooks, 69; Former Resident

Gail Watson Brooks died peacefully at her home in La Quinta, California, from medical complications on December 9. Two of her daughters, Lisa and Jan, and her beloved dog, Blanco, were by her side. She was 69.”   Gail was born in Santa Monica on June 27, 1941, to long-time residents of Pacific Palisades, Louis Calhoun Wells and Gail Sperry Wells, both deceased. She attended University High School.   Around the age of 18, while working as a hostess at the Bel-Air Country Club, Gail learned to play bridge while on lunch breaks. She became a skilled, life-long bridge player and was celebrated as a crafty player amongst her bridge group friends. She was also a partner in a bridge supply company.   Gail attended Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, Texas, where she not only studied business but also learned ballroom and swing dancing. After college she lived in Missouri and Arkansas before returning to California.   By trade, Gail was an accountant most of her life. About 2000, before retiring from the William Warren Group in Santa Monica, she moved back to the family home on Toyopa Drive to take care of her mother, who died in 2003. Gail then moved to La Quinta, where she enjoyed bridge, knitting, shopping, spending time with friends and enjoying her family.   She is survived by one brother, Eugene Hamilton Wells of Cambria, California; her three daughters, Lisa Gail Elliott of La Quinta, Jan Rae Carpenter (husband Mark) of Marine, Illinois, and Vickie Lynn Tardy of Danbury, Texas; and six grandchildren. She is also survived by her long-time friend and pet, Blanco, a six-year-old Maltese.   A celebration of Gail’s life will be held on Thursday, February 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Indian Wells Country Club in La Quinta. Memorial services will be held February 4 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church in Pacific Palisades, with a reception to follow at Casa Escobar in Santa Monica from 3 to 5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association.   The family would like to give special thanks to all of Gail’s wonderful friends that she adored throughout her life.