Gayle Blomstrom

SUTTON – Gayle Ann Blomstrom, 66, passed away on Tuesday, December 15th, with only her son Caleb by her side, because it was unsafe to allow more than one visitor in the closed ward where she spent 24 days on a ventilator. The sole cause of her death was Covid-19.

Gayle was predeceased by her stepfather Thomas Boria and her father Kenneth Blomstrom. She leaves her mother, Virginia (Tubbs) Boria; her sisters Lynne Sayah and Diane Salmonsen; her four sons, Thomas Polseno of Arlington, VA, Jarrod Polseno of Boston, and Caleb Polseno and Dylan Polseno of Sutton; her niece Chelsea Salmonsen; and her grandchildren Logan, Soren, Brody, and Daphne Gayle.

She was valedictorian of her high school class and earned an English degree from Clark University in Worcester, then returned to college later obtaining another degree in Nursing. She spent most of her adult life caring for others, including her sons, her canine companions, her own parents, and hundreds of patients at the long-term care facilities where she served for nearly 30 years as an RN. When her sister asked why she did not simply retire from what became a high-risk occupation during a deadly pandemic, she said: "Someone has to take care of them." She was right.

Her family is proud of her bravery, but heartbroken. We believe she deserved better than this. Please take reasonable precautions to protect others like her, who cannot work from home until the danger passes.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Worcester Animal Rescue League at

www.worcesterarl.org/memorial-donations