Gayla Stevenson, 63, Minot and formerly of Portland, OR died on Thursday, August 27, 2015 in a Minot hospital.

Gayla was born on December 30, 1951 in Portland, OR the daughter of Kermit and Vera (Graves) Cook. She was raised in the Portland area graduating from Hillsboro High School in 1971.

Gayla met Robert Stevenson in 2005 and the following year on June 6th they were united in marriage. They moved to Minot later that June, where Gayla found employment in area hotels working a variety of positions over the years.

Gayla had a love of collecting. Items on the collection list included unicorns, memorabilia from NASCAR of her favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, Green Bay Packers and Native American Dolls. Gayla loved doing cross word and find and seek puzzles, and playing UNO and her online games on Facebook. Gayla's favorite TV shows were In The Heat of The Night and Walker Texas Ranger. However, Chuck Norris and Caroll O'Connor took a backseat to her favorite characters, Garfield and Odie.

Gayla loved her family and friends. She was a very loving and compassionate woman. She will be remembered by all who shared in her life. We will always love and miss her.

Gayla's loving family includes husband, Robert, Minot, ND; son, Steven (Julie) Baumgardner, Minot, ND; daughter, Cynthia (Michael) Cornacchia, Canby, OR; grandchildren, Kierstin, Kaci, Jonathan, Zakery (Nadja) and Christopher; great-grandchildren, Brayden; sisters, Connie Tholen, Florence, OR and Nancy Cook, Forest Grove, OR; brother, Charlie (Angie) Cook, Hillsboro, OR; brother-in-law, Richard (Missy) Stevenson, Fargo, ND; sister-in-law, Cynthia Thomas, Dunseith, ND; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other family members and friends.

Gayla was preceded in death by her parents.

Memorial Service : 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 16, 2015 in the Community Room of Brentmoor Assisted Living Center, at 3515 10th St. SW, Minot, ND 58701. Street parking on east side of facility is available.