Billie Jean(Franks)Gal was born October 9, 1933 in Grand Rapids, MI. Jean was preceded in death by her daughter, Gayle Sharpe and her husband, Julius Gal. She is survived by her son-in-law Casey Sharpe, friends and neighbors who cared for her and her husband. Jean met Julius at a Grand Rapids gem and mineral shop. Their shared admiration of beauty extended into creating beauty around them in their home and garden. They were married for 47 years. Jean was a loyal employee at Keeler Brass for 21 years before retiring to spend time on her hobbies. She spent countless hours in the kitchen, honing recipes and canning their produce to eat year round. Jean loved to bake and share her treats. She took great care in developing recipes for breads, pies, cookies, and Hungarian pastries. She also developed some favorite main dishes like Hungarian paprikash and homemade pizza with their own sauce. Jean took pride in tending to her many flower gardens. She was often on the search for beautiful, unique flower varieties to plant. She subscribed to knitting and crocheting magazines and would pick out her favorite patterns to make sweaters, scarves, hats, socks and anything else that caught her fancy. Besides being an avid watcher of Animal Planet, she would often take in cats who showed up at her doorstep. Jean also loved bird watching, and had many feeders set up around their house. Despite experiencing heart ache and years of physical pain, Jean had a positive outlook on life. She would often say, "You have to laugh or you'll cry." She was a kind, patient soul who dearly loved her family, friends and her animals. She will be remembered as a hard working, loyal and most of all, loving woman.