Gailya Ann Lewis Kajihiro was born May 10, 1935 in Justin, TX to Edd and Lois (Bumgarner) Lewis. Gailya passed into the presence of Jesus and was reunited with those she loved at the age of 87, May 27, 2022.
Visitation: 4 – 6PM Thursday, June 9, 2022 at Lake Shore Funeral Home Chapel.
She will be buried alongside Ed at DFW National Cemetery. The family invites friends and family to a reception on Friday, June 10, 2022 from 2:30 to 4:30 at Hillcrest Baptist Church, K Bldg., at 265 W. Pleasant Run Road, Cedar Hill, TX 75104.
Gailya developed a love for baseball at an early age when she attended the Ft. Worth Cats’ games with her dad. She grew up on a farm with her parents and brother, Lyna, and graduated from Northwest High School, where she was a majorette and also pursued her love for vocal music and piano.
She married Ed Kajihiro, who grew up in Hawaii, on June 2, 1953 in Justin. They were married for 64 years and had two children, Edrena and Kerry.
Ed and Gailya lived in Garland, Decatur, Austin, Arkadelphia, Norman, Plainview, Duncanville, and Cedar Hill. She served as a secretary, librarian, and in volunteer roles throughout her life. Following Ed’s passing in 2017, Gailya moved to Waco in 2021.
Gailya loved to read and sew and was active in the Methodist Hospital Guild in Dallas, serving as president. She was involved in the choir at Hillcrest Baptist in Cedar Hill, as well as other previous churches. She loved the friends she made along the way. She was an avid fan of the New York Yankees throughout her life. Her greatest passion, though, was in following the activities of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a survivor of ovarian cancer and numerous health issues, never complaining.
Gailya is predeceased by her parents, husband, three sisters in law and two brothers in law.
She will be lovingly remembered by her daughter, Edrena Smith (Mike); son, Kerry Kajihiro (Kim), and her brother, Lyna Lewis, and sister in law, Mary Kajihiro. She is also survived by her grandchildren-Jamie, Brandon (Shannon), Shane, Brooke (Jason), Drew and Kelsey (Chase) and 10 great grandchildren, Jenna, Ryan, Sydney, Zane, Chase, Kariayn, Ellie, Avery, Shelby and Ayden, and several nieces and nephews.
The family would like to extend our gratitude to those who wrote, called, and visited her as well as the caregivers at Crescent Point, Brookdale Lakeshore, and Bluebonnet Hospice, who poured out so much love to her. Memorials may be made to the American Bible Society.
Her greatest joy would be that all those she loved would join her in heaven because of the faith they placed in Jesus for salvation.
John 3:16-For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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Print Obituary & Condolences
My deepest condolences
Kerry, after working with and admiring your dad through his employment at NCH Corporation, Steve was excited when your parents joined our Enclave neighborhood Bible study. Through that experience, we were blessed to get to know both of them and had the greatest respect for them. We send our sincere condolences at the loss of your mom. Steve and Louise White
I was unaware Gailya was in poor health and was so sorry to hear of her passing.
One of those other churches, mentioned in the obituary, was Cliff Temple Baptist Church, where I knew her and Ed from.
They were both staples of the church and a friend to everyone they met.
The angels are surely rejoicing with the addition of Gailya to their choir.
My deepest sympathies go out to all the Kajihiro family and I pray God grants you peace and comfort as you grieve the loss of such a loving and godly mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend……….
In Him,
Pamela Finley
Sorry I will be out of town for the reception to honor her life. I really loved your Mom.
Your mother was so sweet. It was a privilege to spend time with her in her last weeks. Praying for all of you.
Edrena and Kerry
Thank you so much for letting us know of the passing of your mother. Your mom and dad played such a special role in our family, especially with our son. I have never heard of a relationship quite like that before, but it enriched Christian’s life. We met your parents in Hawaii when Christian was only 4 years old and your dad started a pen pal with him until his death. Your mom was a huge part of that as well. We were able to see your parents on 3 different occasions after Hawaii and certainly wish we could have had even more visits. Your mom continued to stay in touch even after your dad had passed. They were amazing people and she will be missed.
Christian is currently traveling, but I told him about this and he asked me also express his condolences.