Gayle S Lecount

Gayle S. LeCount, 71, of Georgetown, passed away at 2:34pm, Thursday, February 16, 2012, at his home. He was born on May 30, 1940, in Danville, IL, the son of Glenn and Hazel {Brown} LeCount, both deceased. He was united in marriage to Jill Shaw on November 1, 1986, in Georgetown, IL. She will miss him dearly, as will his step-mother, Nadine LeCount-Maxey of Danville, his brother, Ronald LeCount of Cupertino, CA and his nephew Blake LeCount. His nephew, Brent LeCount, preceded him in death. To fully know LeCount, one also needs to appreciate his love of flying. Even though he did not choose a career in aeronautical engineering, LeCount did not abandon his fascination with flight. After earning his pilot's license in 1967, LeCount read a magazine article about a homebuilt airplane and it was as if a light bulb was illuminated: "If somebody else could, I could." In 1970, LeCount started building his plane from scratch, learning from fellow enthusiasts as well as from his own errors. LeCount chose to construct a Thorp T-18 because of the number that had been homebuilt as well as its high safety record. It took LeCount two years to construct his plane which he made in his grandmother's garage. His grandmother, whom he called Granny Zoe, was 80 at the time and he deepened his relationship with her during this process - a process in which she bucked every rivet in the plane. Regarding education, he believed that, "Kids have got to know education is important. One of the things that we have difficulty with as teachers is instilling in students that realization." LeCount has estimated that he has taught 4,200 students in his career. As he looked back over his lengthy association at DHS, LeCount shared, "My best memories are of students who really cared and put their education in the forefront each day. There was always something new when interacting with my classes. Many students had worldly visions and it was fun learning from them." He believed his greatest contribution was to instill within the student not only an appreciation for math, but also the value of being prompt, accurate, attentive, and respectful. A celebration of Gayle's life will be held at 10:00am, Tuesday, February 21, 2012, at Sunset's Houghton-Leasure Funeral Home, Georgetown, with Pastor James Blue officiating. Visitation will be 3pm-7pm, Monday, February 20, 2012, at the funeral home. He will be laid to rest in Georgetown Cemetery. Memorial donations may be given in Gayle's name to: Mayo Clinic Cancer Research, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, or EAA Chapter 622 High School Scholarship Fund. Please join Gayle's family in sharing memories through his Tribute Wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com .