Ronald Gaines
Markley, beloved husband, father, brother and uncle passed peacefully
away in Seattle on April 24, 2008.
“Gaines,”
as everyone knew him, was born August 4, 1941, in Spokane and
grew up in Seattle. He graduated from Lincoln High School in
1959 and attended classes at the University of Washington. In
1971 he married Annie and they raised one daughter, Beth.
Gaines loved
all creatures, large and small, but had a special rapport for
his Scotties, Doc and Mac. Dogs are a good judge of character
and there has never been a dog that met Gaines that didn’t
love him. He set tails wagging wherever he went.
After his family
(which included his dogs), Gaines’ love was auto racing.
He was Top Fuel Drag Racing champion for 1979 and won numerous
other awards and trophies for drag racing. With his brother Charlie
and nephew John, he took up racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats
in the 1990s, setting a world’s record for his class at
272 miles per hour. He also enjoyed driving his 1933 Ford and
1957 Chevy to cruise-ins and show and shines with his daughter
in the Seattle area. Since 1978 he co-owned and operated Custom
Machine Shop with Bob Gage, performing specialty machine work
on high-performing engines.
Gaines was always
a helper and a friend to all. There wasn’t a stalled car
he couldn’t get started or a friend he ever turned down.
He will be sorely missed by all and especially his survivors,
wife Annie, daughter Beth, brother Charlie, cousin Chris Cannon,
nieces Julia and Maria, nephew John, and sister in law Mary.
Not to mention the legond of friends he made in his many years
of drag racing.
