SOUTHPORT — Gay Lefebvre, 82, loving wife and mother, passed away Sunday, May 2, 2021. She was born Nov. 15, 1938, in Middletown, Connecticut, to Ruth and Carl Byloff. Gay graduated from East Hampton High School, East Hampton, Connecticut, where she met her beloved husband of 60 years, Richard H. Lefebvre. They raised two daughters in Johnstown, New York.
Gay was a gifted artist and teacher. With two young children at home, she returned to school and graduated with high honors from Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1976. With over 30 years as an educator, Gay spent most of her career as a secondary level art teacher and chair of the art department for the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District. She loved teaching and impacting the lives of young people. She was known for her listening ear, her fiery spirit and her straight talk with her students. She was a tenacious champion for those who needed her most.
After retirement, Gay continued her career as a professional wildlife artist and her art was shown and sold in many esteemed galleries on the East Coast. Her spirit will live on through the lives of the students that she touched and her incredible artwork that is held in numerous private collections throughout the country.
Gay was a member of several art guilds; supported the community of artists in and around her home in Southport; and enjoyed her summers in York Beach, Maine. She was an avid reader, ardent traveler, skilled gardener and always interested in political and current events at the local and national levels.
Preceded in death by her mother Ruth Byloff; father, Carl Byloff; and her sister, Carol Dulaney, Gay is survived by her loving husband, Richard; daughters, Kim and Ann (Mika); grandchildren, Wesley, Dana and Nathan; as well as additional extended family and lifelong friends.
For those who wish to do so, memorial contributions may be made to SECU Hospice House of Brunswick, 955 Mercy Lane, Bolivia, NC 28422; or the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, P.O. Box 195, Ray Brook, NY 12977.
Share online condolences with the family at Peacock-Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service.
