Mrs. Gail Ashcroft Loomis

Mrs. Gail Ashcroft Loomis, 85, of Homer, passed away on July 26, 2026. Born Feb 25, 1941, in Cortland to her parents Sterling H. Ashcroft and Helen O’Hara Ashcroft, Gail was a native of Marathon, N.Y., and a lifelong resident of Cortland County. Gail is survived by her husband Robert P. Loomis, daughter Michele (Mark) Streton, son Matthew (Catrina) Loomis, and granddaughters Samantha Streton, Brynn Loomis, and Leah Loomis. Other family members include brother Bruce Ashcroft (deceased) and his wife Brenda, brother-in-law James Loomis (deceased) and his wife Margaret, and sister-in-law Carol (Loomis) Drake and her husband Rodney, as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Gail was a graduate of Marathon Central School, Keuka College and SUNY Cortland, recipient of Rotary Graduate Fellowship (Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, S A) and participant in several intensive language programs in Spanish speaking countries. She had retired after 25 years of teaching at Marathon Central School and continued her teaching career at Syracuse University and Onondaga Community College as an Adjunct/Part Time instructor. Gail and her husband then spent part of the year in Englewood, Florida, and part of the year in Homer, New York. For many years she was a member of a scholarship selection committee for Keuka College. In Florida, she volunteered as a tutor for students of English as a Second Language with Literacy Volunteers. In her professional life, happiness was seeing students succeeding. In her private life, it was spending time with and cooking for people she loved. Funeral Service will be held on Saturday August 1, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. in Grace and Holy Spirit Church at 13 Court St. Cortland, N.Y. The family will be present to receive friends on Saturday from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the church prior to services. Please note that Court Street will be closed to traffic for a festival, but the church is still open. Immediately following the service friends are welcome to join the family for a reception at the Hollywood Restaurant on Groton Ave. Prayers of committal in St. Mary's Cemetery will be at the convenience of family. In her memory, people might consider the Marathon Teachers' Assoc. Scholarship Fund, Judith Brown Class of 1963 Keuka College Scholarship Fund, Cortland Loaves and Fishes, or the South Sarasota County (Florida) Literacy Volunteers. Condolences may also be sent to the family by visiting www.riccardifuneralhome.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to Riccardi Funeral Home, Cortland, NY.

Mrs. Gail Ashcroft Loomis

February 25, 1941 - July 26, 2026