Gae McGregor Melford, 73, passed away peacefully at her Mason’s Island home on May 9, surrounded by the family she so adored, following a valiant battle with ovarian cancer.
Gae was born on September 1, 1949 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Admiral Rob Roy and Mary McGregor. An island girl from beginning to end.
Being part of a Navy family, Gae’s early life was a worldly one, which brought her to live abroad in France before her family settled in Coronado, San Diego.
Gae attended Santa Clara University from 1967 to 1972, where she studied Philosophy, and started a movie club (with a whopping one other member). Because of her growing passion for social justice during the late ‘60s, a time of great social upheaval, Gae noted, “Things weren’t happening on my campus; I had to go to get involved!”. She traveled to San Francisco regularly with friends to experience the live music of the era, and joined in on street parades for gay rights and anti-war demonstrations. Gae embraced the counterculture revolution of the 1960s - 1970s and it, like everyone in Gae’s life, undoubtedly embraced her.
After a few odd jobs, (such as working at a canning factory and as a Chiquita Banana girl), Gae’s editorial and artistic talents were noticed, and she was hired by Psychology Today Magazine. The magazine was bought by Ziff Davis, and our California girl found herself on the other side of the country in New York City.
After some time, Gae applied for a job at HBO through the submission of an ad campaign that HBO ended up using, “In America, Not All Television is Created Equal”. She soon became a trailblazer as a female leader in the 80’s, promoted to Creative Director during HBO’s heyday, and was in charge of promotion for all the affiliated stations around the country.
In New York, Gae met photographer Michael Melford, and they fell in love roller skating around Michael’s loft apartment and traveling on many adventures around the world. In 1985 they married, and purchased a home in Mt. Kisco, NY, where they lived until 1993. During this time, they gave birth to their two beloved children, Caely and Colin.
Gae played an integral role in the growth and success of Michael’s renowned career, traveling all over the world together. After leaving New York City, as the number of photographic assignments grew, Gae worked side by side with Michael, and she managed the studio and business. In her role pitching stories to National Geographic Magazine, she was instrumental in landing some of Michael’s most notable assignments, including Bristol Bay and Pebble Mine, Glacier National Park, the Adirondacks, Death Valley National Park, and many more.
In 1993 they moved to what would become Gae’s forever home on Masons Island in Mystic, CT. Gae continued to walk a fascinating and diverse career path. We would be remiss to not mention her infamous stint bartending at Bravo Bravo, which lasted all of one entire evening. (Gae always said, “The main thing is to laugh at yourself.”)
Later in her life, Gae joined The New London Day as their obit editor. In her own words: “It was a pretty interesting job! And I am so thankful that I had this unique opportunity. I certainly never imagined I would be editing obituaries. I learned a great deal, worked with some wonderful people who are now my friends, read about so many fascinating folks who have graced the earth, worked with so many families...and even made a few dollars.”
Community service and helping those less fortunate were of significant importance to Gae. In 2016 she learned of a nearby community giving group, and she inspired the formation of Power of Together 2 (PoT2), which she co-founded with 3 close friends. The group now has 130+ members and has provided over $300,000 to various charitable organizations within our local communities.
Gae was so many things. A masterful wordsmith; a warm and effortless hostess; a lover and knower of great art (particularly music); a generous, kind, and gracious giver (of her time, her mind, her heart); a fierce friend to all; a brilliant thinker, full of endless curiosity, wit, and keen intelligence; a raker of endless leaves; an adventurer and an athlete; and most of all, the most wonderful mother we could have hoped for. She was the most extroverted introvert and although she had JOMO (joy of missing out), she was often the last to leave a party and could be found encircled by a group of people listening to her stories and captivated by her presence. Gae always made genuine connections with people; she was warm and welcoming, could tell a great story, really listened, and delighted in hearing about your life, experiences and thoughts. She had the gift of making you feel like you were the most special person in the world, and there was no one she’d rather be talking to.
Gae is survived by her two children, Caely Melford and Colin Melford, and his wife, Olivia Melford, sister Bonnie Rush, brother Rob Roy McGregor, stepson Peter Melford, his wife, Jen Melford, and their children, Caleb and Jimmi Melford, and many dozens of friends who will always love and miss the special gift that was Gae.
Gae’s Celebration of Life will be held on June 17th at 2:00 pm at The Masons Island Yacht Club. For online condolences, please visit www.dinotofuneral.com.
Because the Power of Together 2 organization was so dear to Gae’s heart, in lieu of flowers, please visit the “Recipients to Date” page on the PoT2 website (https://poweroftogether.org/recipients-to-date-2/) to choose an organization that resonates with you and make a donation in Gae’s name.