Gaya Lynne (Speiker-Hubbard) Rhubright

Gaya Lynne (Speiker-Hubbard) Rhubright left to be with our Lord and her beloved family members and pets on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Gaya was born on July 22, 1952 to Elaine (Proudfoot) and Dean Brooks Speiker in Toledo, Ohio. She was a 1970 graduate of E. L. Bowsher High School in Toledo, OH and lived in Delta, OH from 1973 to 1992. Gaya was employed by the Jobst Institute (now BSN Medical) in Toledo, OH in 1972. When the company took its manufacturing operations to North Carolina in 1992, she followed her job there. She maintained her employment with the company despite many mergers and buyouts, retiring as a senior procurement agent in 2015 after 43 years of service. Gaya was an avid gardener and home canner, taking many blue ribbons at the Burke County Fair. She loved her farm, her livestock – especially her cows – and nature. She loved the birds and her wild turkey flock that took refuge in her pasture every year. She was a loving mother, grandmother and generous to a fault with the people she loved. She had a soft heart and always believed in the underdog, be it human or animal. She enjoyed deep sea fishing and loved the ocean. Gaya was preceded in death by her father, Dean Brooks Speiker (Henderson, NV); mother, Elaine V. Hubbard (Whitehouse, OH); beloved grandmother, Ida Proudfoot (Toledo, OH); aunts, Dolores A. Swain (Cape May, NJ) and Ida Mae Bruch (Maumee, OH).
She is survived by her son, Joseph C. Rhubright and grandson, Joseph K. Rhubright, both of Morganton, NC; sister, Sandra C. Komisarek, Swanton, OH; cousin, Sharon (Art) Schellinger of Woodbine, NJ; loving niece, Rosalyn A. (Scott) Sonnet of Knoxville, TN; nephew, Dean B. Orner of Rossford, OH; grandnephews, Andrew J. Powers of Jacksonville, NC and Michael Orner of Pittsburg, PA; grandnieces, Harley Sonnet and Saylor Sonnet both of Knoxville, TN.
The family would especially like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude to Scott (Jake) Sonnet for all the countless hours he spent helpng Gaya in the final weeks of her life.
There will be no services and the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Burke Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., 1721 Enon Rd., Valdese, NC 28690 or to charity of one’s choice.
Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.