BELC General Fund- In Honor of Gail Oschrin

Thank you for donating to Barrett Early Learning Center in honor of our beautiful and brilliant wife and mother Gail Herrenbruck Oschrin who passed away quietly on September 8th, 2023 at Martha Jefferson Hospital. Gail was born in Oakland California on May 27, 1952, and grew up in Berkeley. After moving to Charlottesville in 1990, to help make ends meet, Gail started the Meriwether Street Playhouse, a small day-care for kids aged three to six. It was a huge hit but Gail wanted to keep it small so she could fully express her creativity. Once, in the middle of a bitterly cold winter, she had the kids wear their swimsuits over their clothes. She set up a small plastic swimming pool inside with pillows and a slide. After lunch, they went fishing for treats over a sheet decorated like the ocean and blew bubbles out of milk containers. Things like that happened every day. 

Gail was deeply involved in kids’ education. There were trips to DC museums, regular visits to the library, and active participation in school activities. We remember fondly sitting around our first computer using Encarta or playing The Oregon Trail. Gail once organized a PTO event with Emily Couric and several state delegates about statewide education initiatives. At Burnley-Moran, she developed an after-school enhancement program called Brain Boosters. Always looking for ways to help and nourish children, Gail decided to attend VCU for a Masters in Social Work. She worked for Albemarle County for 16 years helping kids and their parents. 

Gail was the most creative, kind, and thoughtful person we ever knew. Also one of the funniest. Even as her cognition declined, her kindness and sense of humor never left her. Memories of her will be holding our broken hearts together forever.

Gail served on Barrett's board of directors from 2005-2008 and continued thereafter to support Barrett's mission of offering a high-quality early learning environment to all families regardless of their income. Your contribution in her honor will have a positive impact on Barret's program, helping to fund additional resources, activities, and initiatives not covered by tuition income.