of Benton, AR

January 17, 1931 - November 1, 2018

Cecilia M. (Cleary) Gaylo, 87, of Benton passed away Thursday, November 1st. She was born on January 17, 1931 in Sydney, Australia to Leonard and Mary (Peoples) Cleary, each of whom preceded her in death.

The themes of her life were love and service to others. She met her future husband, Joseph A. Gaylo, Jr., in 1955 in Naples, Italy where he was on leave from serving at a U.S. Air Force base in Izmir, Turkey. She was a on a cruise from Sydney with her father. For the next four years she and Joe corresponded by mail between Australia and the US. In 1959 Cecilia moved to Toronto, Canada to serve as a registered nurse. Joe and Cecilia were married in July 1960 in Benton.

Cecilia quickly learned what life as an Air Force spouse meant, as she and Joe moved immediately to Shepard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. After they had two children born in Texas, the young family had to pack their bags and move to Anchorage Air Force Base in Alaska. They had two more children in Alaska, and then they moved back to Arkansas, stationed at Blytheville Air Force Base. Thereafter, Cecilia was forced to be a single mother for a year, living in Benton while Joe was stationed in Thule, Greenland. After Joe's retirement the family remained in Benton, where they would welcome their fifth child. Throughout her entire time living in the US she remained a proud Australian, visiting family there and ensuring her children knew about her home country.

In addition to being a mother of five, Cecilia spent her professional life working as a midwife and then as a registered nurse, most notably at St. Vincent's Infirmary in Little Rock, from where she retired. She loved working with patients, especially in the cardiac stepdown unit.

In addition to her parents, Cecilia was preceded in death by Joe, her beloved husband of 44 years. She also survived the deaths of her five siblings.
She is survived by her five children: Paul J. Gaylo of Greenwood, Indiana; Karen M. Smart (Perry) of Traskwood; Lt. Col. Mark L. Gaylo (U.S. Army, ret.) (Kelli) of Alexander; Louise A. Tripp, of Bauxite; and Mary C. Howell (Stacy) of Bismarck. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Pam Smart; Beth Smart; Joshua Smart; Jeremy Smart; Callie Barnett (Dewayne); Noah Tripp; Jessica Crawley (Matthew); Jayden Howell; Cecilia Howell; and Grady Howell; and her great-grandchildren: Sydney and Colton Barnett; and Amelia Crawley.

Visitation will be Monday, November 5, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 12:00 p.m. at Roller-Alcoa Funeral Home (6700 Alcoa Rd. Benton, AR 72015). There will be a graveside interment ceremony following for family members. Please visit www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/bryant to sign the online guest registry and leave a personal message for the family.

The family would like to send special thanks to Pleasant Hill Care Home and the Saline Memorial Home Health and Hospice group for their support and assistance to Cecilia and the family.

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