Gail Lynn Freer was born to Troy and Betty Wiley on December 21, 1953 in Portsmouth, Virginia and spent most of her young life with family in Guam and Sicily as her dad was a 30 - year veteran of the Navy.

She married her first husband September 23, 1971 and had her first child, Cammie Lyn Hamlin, born May 18, 1972, who died of crib death on May 12, 1973.  She had two sons, the eldest, Jason Troy Hamlin, born June 30, 1973 and Timothy Allen Hamlin, born September 10, 1976.

Gail spent most of her working life from 1973 until 1990 as an apartment manager. It was at Chapel Lake Apartments in 1979 (where she was manager), that she first encountered Mike Freer when the whole Tidewater team showed up to get rooms (let it be noted that she didn't think much of him and thought he was a snob…it really was his shyness).

Soon after, the Tide's pitching coach set Gail and Mike up for a date.  After that, it was history.  Gail loved football and baseball!  She took pictures during Mike's time at the University of Richmond and worked at Chelsea Square Apartments.  During their time there, Gail and Mike were married at Grove Avenue Baptist Church (where Gail and her family were members from 1981 to 1993) by Pastor Vander Warner on Friday, January 23, 1981.

Gail joined Mike on many football and basketball trips.  Her fondest trip was to Philadelphia on April 7, 1988, when Richmond played in the sweet sixteen where she met Bill Cosby.  In 1990, Mike returned to professional baseball and Gail went with Mike to the Arizona Fall League in 1992, 1996, and 2001.  Gail also joined Mike for Winter ball in 1993-1995 in Venezuela.  During their marriage, Gail and Mike lived in the cities where Mike worked: Jackson, Mississippi, New Orleans, Louisiana and Metairie, Louisiana. When the Astros AAA team moved to Round Rock in 1995, they made the decision to move to   Georgetown on December 7, 2004.

Gail had a lifelong love for animals and became a rescuer of cats and dogs.  While in Metairie, she first established herself as a pet sitter and eventually worked for the Austin Cocker Spaniel Rescue.  Her fondness for animals expanded beyond just cats and dogs…she rescued and cared for a horse named Mr. Ed for 9 years.

Gail is survived by her husband of 43 and a half years, Mike. Sons, Jason and Tim. Her brother, Ron Wiley and many rescue pets.

In lieu of flowers..

Please make donations to:

Cocker Spaniel Rescue of Austin

PO Box 27453

Austin, TX  78755

austincockerrescue.org

512)527-9923