Hailie Gunn
Hallowese (Hallie) Ellena Morrison Tomingas Gunn Born in Francisco Indiana 27th of May, 1923 to Ethyl Young and Lewis Morrison. Lewis unfortunately perished in a train accident in Hallie’s first year so she never knew her father. Her mother was one of eleven children. Hallie’s grandparents were Hattie Elizabeth Taylor Young and Albert Young. Hallie’s grandmother’s ancestors are traced back to 1680 in the U.S. when they came as Quakers to New Jersey, They were mostly English/German/Irish descent. Hallie’s father’s family was from Belgium & France.
Hailie was a determined, positive, non-complainer who made the best of everything, an intelligent leader who fought for the good and just. She guided and enjoyed her life with charm, skill and grace.
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Hallie went to the first grade at the Whittier School in Kansas City where they wore uniforms, dark long skirt and white blouse with sleeves. Then her family moved to Jackson, WY in 1930 when she was 7. Her step father Marvin Mayes had been hired on as the electrician for Benson’s Upper Flat Creek Power Plant, his cousin owned the Elk Horn Café at that time. As a child, she loved playing with and making paper dolls, they lived at the mouth of Cache Creek. Hallie and her brilliant (scored genius level in IQ) younger brother Teddy Mayes (Silver Star winner in the Korean War) used to sing together, both had sensational voices. Her favorite horse was Brownie, her best friend was the Robertson girl whose dad had a tame Bull Elk that he would saddle up, and she went with them on one of their cattle drives down to Hoback Junction. Next time you drive just before you get to the junction, look across the river on that steep slope and you will see the nastiest, scariest trail ever that slides directly into the river. She saw the last of the wolves from the final hunt the ranchers made. She also saw the ranchers herd up and bring in the Elk into the feed grounds for the first time. The Elk were starving due to all the fences and homesteads, they couldn’t migrated on old paths and essentially got lost and coupled with the horrific winters this valley had in the first four decades of the 20th century, it’s a wonder anybody survived. She sang soprano in a girl’s trio, played on the women’s basketball team, walked up Snow King Mountain each week but her great love was reading books.
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Hailie married a brilliant man, Bob Tomingas who moved to Jackson as a teenager from Gillette WY and they had three son’s; Robbie, Henry & Byron. In the 1940’s they spent their first decade on the Elk Ranch in Moran WY, raising their first two sons. This was the era where Hallie had to chop the ice in the creek to get water to wash cloths and cook, while trying to keep her water baby Henry from heading for the creek with his trike full speed ahead! Her best friend was Esther Craighead. They moved into Jackson when youngest son Byron was born, she found another walker like herself with Hilda Johnson and they took long walks into the Elk Refuge each summer. Robby turned out to be a prodigy on trumpet who could triple tongue & hit high C plus play a hot rendering of Bugler’s Holiday when he was ten. The school music instructor called him a musical genius, Robby had the whole world before him, then came the Polio epidemic he was gone by age 12 which completely devastated the family.
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Hallie worked for the Courier Newspaper and then became the County Librarian in Jackson WY for a decade, as President of the State Library Association she hosted the tri-state Library convention in Jackson, meeting many significant authors and publishers. She won the Dorothy Canfield Fisher award, expanded the library and brought many local historical books into the library before going back to school to finish a degree in Library Science. When she finished her degree, she had an offer at the San Diego Library and the Elko County NV library. She moved to Elko and took the Directorship of the second largest county library system in the United States. She built a new library building, brought the library system into the computer age with an AS400 Main Frame which provided computer connections and services for the college and library as the town of Elko grew. She built several branch libraries, setup a bookmobiles and other services. Hailie retired after 24 years which she said was way too soon!
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While living in Elko Nevada in the late sixties, she met the love of her life, former Navy SEAL and Jazz Pianist A. Thomas Gunn (TomGunn.org) and he met his. Both were voracious readers and always joked they fell in love because he played music and she held the keys to the library 24/7. They were married in 1971, Hallie changed her name to Hailie Gunn. Hailie & Tom were very patriotic and she belonged to the Women’s Republican Committee and the Soroptimist Club. They traveled to Scotland visiting the Gunn castles, Germany, England, rode the Orient Express and Mexico with interests well matched for rock collecting, travel, reading and the common good. Both were avid and expert golfers winning many tournaments and awards collecting many friends along the way. Hailie continued to play golf all the way into her 90’s, always known as a straight shooter, in fact though nearly blind at 96, she was still winning putting contests at Morningstar Senior Living. Between Tom’s power and expertise coupled with Hailie’s accuracy, they made a formidable golfing team with many awards and trophies.
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They loved going up to Alaska to see her son Henry and his fleet of ocean going research ships (www.Ocean-Explorers.com) which Tom enjoyed working on the boats being a former Navy man. Tom and Hailie retired to Kalispell Montana and didn’t meet old age until 2018 when they entered the Nonagenarian years, The year before, they decided for a last hurrah to drive the AlCan high way one more time to Alaska! They arrived at their granddaughter Alicia’s Wolverine Equestrian Park just in time for Hailie’s 94th Birthday with her entire family present. When Hailie’s husband passed away the next summer, she moved to Idaho Falls to be near her youngest son, classical guitarist Byron Tomingas (ByronsGuitar.com) and Jackson WY.
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Our family would like to thank Morningstar Senior Living and Aspen Home care for their excellent, flexible and warm service during our mother’s last year. Their care and concern made for a positive situation and she loved the weekly live music and exercise classes. The COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown however made it so very difficult the residents in assisted living environments everywhere as no one could visit, no live music, no exercise classes as that was all provided by outside people who were banned. That removes almost all of life’s incentive, talking on the phone for hour each night just isn’t the same. Many families had the terrible situation of their loved one passing away without them present.
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In Hailie’s case she had two episodes within weeks of each other that landed her in the hospital but she had proven to be highly resilient over the last decades coming back to a 100% from things that would have put many down for the count. We took advantage of the first episode when she was released, we played hooky driving around town with the radio blasting Son’s of the Golden West’s “Timber” and going for an ice cream! But she felt things were starting to break down and started making plans, she was in complete command of her situation to the very end, making her own decisions and 110% in the present. Two weeks later she was in the hospital again and she told Henry who was in Alaska to “get Byron over here and get me home, that’s enough.” She signed herself out of hospital care and into Hospice. But now with Hospice, her family was able to be with her. Henry flew in from Alaska, granddaughter Persis (Byron’s daughter) and her mom Jane Groscost drove in from California which meant so much to our Mom.
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She had a fine day, happy to be out of the hospital, that evening Henry, Hailie and I (Byron) were singing old songs and playing guitar together late into the night, she usually stayed up until about 11pm. Then she got fixated on one song, the Tennessee Waltz, she got a far off look as if going back in time to when she was a young girl and sang over and over “I was waltzing, with my darling, to the Tennessee Waltz” then she said “Okay boys, I’ve got to get some rest” and she did. As the hour of 6pm May 19th 2020 arrive, a week and half from 97th birthday, her “Bird Clock” sang the song of the Alaskan Loon that she so loved - she passed us by, in command of her destiny, with her hearing and memories fully intact.
Hailie Gunn is survived by her two sons, two granddaughters, Persis Anne Tomingas (Byron’s daughter) and Alicia Loren Hall-Tomingas (Henry’s daughter) daughter in law Jane Groscost (Persis), daughter in law Ruth Hall (Alicia) and Goddaughter Beth Smith.
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Hailie Gunn was buried at the Aspen Cemetery in Jackson WY beside her first born son (1940-1952) Robby Tomingas. She has at her side ashes of her husband of 48 years, A. Thomas Gunn Jr. and their beloved dog Gussie. Her youngest son (1947) Byron played a few of her favorite songs spoke of her youth, her spirit, she never complained, always made the best of everything with charm and a twinkle. But as her middle son (1941) Henry said, she also fiercely fought for the good and just, raised the bar to a very high level and was a powerful presence, a leader in charge. The problem with living a very long life and mostly elsewhere, is that you outlive the children of your friends and no one knows the great things you’ve done, the kindness you’ve shown, the grace and spirit with which you led your life. Hailie's command of her life was exceptional.
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Hailie's Son Plays a Tribute to his Mom
Hailies son's from her first marriage to Bob Tomingas are;
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Captain Henry Tomingas, owner of research ship company Ocean-Explorers.com
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Concert Guitarist Byron Tomingas, CalArts BMus, see ByronsGuitar.com