Gale Hochgraf, 84, died peacefully on May 29 at the Miles Campus of LincolnHealth in Damariscotta. She had been struggling for a long time with respiratory difficulties.
She was born in East Orange, N.J. on Feb. 18, 1931 to John Andrew Rudine (of Swedish descent) and Evelyn Miller Rudine (of English, German, and French descent). She attended the Maplewood, N.J. public schools and graduated from the Centenary College for Women in Hackettstown with skills as a medical secretary. She served for some years as the secretary to the medical staff of Overlook Hospital in Summit. She later served as a volunteer at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut.
Early on Gale showed considerable promise as a young violin player, developing and enjoying that skill with other amateurs in music workshops throughout her life. She played in chamber orchestras in Belgium, Connecticut and several in Maine. She had a music room in her home and played there with several string quartets. Her love of the violin, viola and classical chamber music never faded.
In 1953 she married Norman Hochgraf while he was completing graduate studies. They began a family and she took great pride in their children: Lee, who lives on her farm in Jefferson, and Scott, who is a physician living in Bow, N.H.
In troublesome times, as there are in many families, Gale strove with great success to hold things together. To her everlasting credit, she was a line of communication that was always open. She was a receptive and sympathetic listener who made friends of acquaintances.
Living almost seven years in Belgium, Gale sought to experience the world through vacation travel. During her adult life she and her husband took many opportunities to travel, including all the continents and sub-continents (excluding Antarctica) and many South American, European, African, and Far Eastern countries. On each of those trips she found some unique piece of local art to bring home for display.
Gale and Norman designed a home to fit their lifestyle and, after scouring the East coast from the Carolinas to Ellsworth, found their ideal spot on Boyd Pond in Bristol. Responding to Gale’s spiritual attachment to the woods and outdoors, they bought additional land and donated conservation easements to preserve open spaces and wildlife refuge. She was a trustee and spiritual force in their charitable foundation which made contributions to food pantries and energy funds, animal shelters, conservation organizations, and a music school and camp as well as to organizations providing medical and dental services to those who could not otherwise afford proper care. She enjoyed with satisfaction the ability to help others. She was not a “Joiner” or “clubwoman” but did belong to the DAR and P.E.O. organizations.
She is survived by her husband of 62 years, and four grandchildren.
A private celebration of her life will be held at a date in the near future.
