Gayle Harmon, 73, of Sully, passed away at her home Thursday, June 11, 2026.
Funeral services were held at 11 a.m., Monday, June 15, at Lynnville Heart of Worship Church. Burial was in Bethany Cemetery, Sully. Memorials may be sent to Sully Ambulance.
Gayle Jean Harmon, the daughter of David and Edith (Kamerick) Van Wyk, was born Sept. 23, 1952, in Oskaloosa. She attended Lynnville-Sully School. Gayle married Terry Needham at 16 and to this union four children were born: Jeanie, Terry, Shaun, and Trisha.
She started babysitting and cleaned houses before starting her job at Maytag where she worked on the assembly line for 14 years. During her time at Maytag, she met the love of her life, Burley Harmon, whom she later married on Oct.18, 1987. Together they enjoyed spending time with their children, grandchildren, and friends. They also shared a farm with many animals and her favorite cat Tommy.
She taught herself to play dulcimer in her 50s and joined a dulcimer club with other ladies from town and even recorded their own album. She was also part of the Elephant Sisters. She enjoyed knitting, listening to bluegrass, reading, and old westerns.
She is survived by her husband Burley Harmon; her children Jeanie (Randy) Van Wyk of Lynnville, Terry (Tammy) Needham of Lynnville, Shaun (Dana) Needham of Lynnville, and Trisha (Justin Dillon) Van Wyk of Lynnville; her bonus children Chuck (Carrie) Harmon of Marshalltown, Gene (Sherry) Harmon of Marshalltown, and Dave (Melissa) Harmon of North Platte, NE; 18 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren plus two on the way; her sister Kathy Van Wyhe; her sister-in-law Vicki Van Wyk: and many other relatives and friends.
Gayle was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Gene Van Wyk.
