Obituary of Gail Suzanne Burlaka

Gail Suzanne (Monthony) Burlaka passed away on February 9th, 2021. She was born in East Orange, NJ on November 21st, 1939 to Doris Jean Sloat and Frank Steven Monthony. She was an only child. She was also the great-granddaughter of Lucy Tiffany Sloat, a popular socialite in the early 1900’s and extremely active in the Red Cross, the Disabled American Veterans, the Daughters of the American Revolution, of which she was State Matron, and the Rainbow Girls. Gail lived in New Jersey for 11 years as a child, then in Texas for 2 years and then went to both Junior and Senior high schools at Clover Park High School in Tacoma, WA where she met many life-long friends and attended the 50th Reunion there, a 3-day event in August of 2007. She moved to New Jersey in 1957 and married Stanley F. Dobrowolski, Jr., living in Kearny, NJ until 1976. He preceded her in death in 1977. She lived in Mt. Laurel, NJ until her retirement in early 2000, when she moved to Bayonet Point, FL. She was a long-time member and President of the Burlington County Kennel Club, actively breeding and showing Afghan Hounds for 21 years, having bred many AKC champions including the #6 Afghan Hound in the country in 1984. She was also an active member of the Afghan Hound Club of Northern New Jersey for many years until moving to South Jersey. She then became the “Kingpin” of the Afghan Hound Club of Southern New Jersey and was active in many capacities, including President of that club as well. She also was a member of the American Ferret Association from 1996 to 2004 serving as “Member-At-Large”, an entity of the Board of Directors. She actively showed breeder raised ferrets to more than 26 championships and many Best in Shows and had Ferret of the Year in 2009. Her ferrets were featured in the St. Petersburg Times and the local TV news show, Bay News 9, in 2009. She also supported the Black Footed Ferret Recovery Program, an endangered species. Since 2010, she was instrumental, along with good friend Freddie Ann Hoffman M.D., in organizing a new national ferret organization, the American Ferret Organization, Inc., aka AllFerrets, an internet club for ferret owners. She was also an avid traveler over the years travelling through 45 of the lower 48 states., visiting many National Parks and also travelling to both ends of Canada, including Vancouver, B.C., Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in the east. She also toured western Europe including England, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Luxembourg, and several others including Israel, and parts of the Mid-East. She leaves behind 3 daughters, Caroline Williams (Christopher), Linda Czyzewski, & Robin Dobrowolski. She also leaves 2 grandchildren Stephanie Ginty (Luke) & Allison McDonald (Ryan) & 1 great-grandchild Luke. She also leaves behind 2 cousins Guy Sloat (Sharon) and George Pierson (Laura). She also leaves behind long time friends Janet Cobb of New Port Richey, FL, Fenia Biron of Venice, FL, Harry Bennett of Jacksonville, FL, Bonnie Witmyer of Michigan and many more friends across the country.