Gail Beaumont

Gail Nettleton Beaumont passed away on March 9, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Born in 1937, she grew up on the shores of Long Island Sound. She earned a BA in Art from the University of Colorado in 1959 and a Master’s degree in Education from Columbia University. Gail began her professional life as a translator for the United Nations before moving to Washington, DC in the early 1960s.

A lifelong free thinker, she marched with Martin Luther King Jr., joined the staff of Congressman Jack Brooks, and worked at the World Bank before beginning a distinguished 36-year career with the U.S. Department of Education. There she contributed to initiatives including the Gifted Children Program, the “Just Say No” campaign, and Indian Affairs. Gail divided her time between Arlington, Virginia, and Bethany Beach, Delaware, while nurturing a deep passion for travel. Her adventures included teaching English in the Cook Islands, singing “America the Beautiful” in Moscow’s Red Square with the Alexandria Singers, hiking Machu Picchu, and bicycling through parts of China. Closer to home, she found joy in painting watercolors, singing with the NOVA Lights Chorale, riding her spirited Arabian horse Merlin on trail rides, sailing, and cruising the Chesapeake Bay with friends. In her later years, she devoted great affection to her beloved pug, Buffy.

Gail is survived by her brothers, George Peter Beaumont (Frances) and Robert Beaumont (Kathy), her nieces Katherine Beaumont and Anne Hormell (Steve), her nephew Peter Beaumont (Mindy), and her grand-nieces Peyton and Elke Beaumont, and Cici and Eleanor Hormell. She was predeceased by her longtime and loving partner, Sol Schildhause. She will be remembered for her independent, adventurous, and endearing spirit, and for a life well lived and generously shared.