Gale Thorpe, daughter of Jim Thorpe, dies

YALE, Okla. (AP) -- Gale Margaret Thorpe, daughter of legendary athlete and Oklahoma native Jim Thorpe, died Friday morning after a lengthy illness.<br/><br/>Gale Thorpe, 88, died at her home in Yale,

Friday, June 3rd 2005, 6:09 pm

By: News On 6

YALE, Okla. (AP) -- Gale Margaret Thorpe, daughter of legendary athlete and Oklahoma native Jim Thorpe, died Friday morning after a lengthy illness.

Gale Thorpe, 88, died at her home in Yale, the Jim Thorpe Association said in a news release.

Jim Thorpe won Olympic gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon in 1912, but the medals were stripped from him after it was determined he had played semiprofessional baseball.

The medals were reinstated by the International Olympic Committee in 1982 after a five-year campaign by Gale Thorpe.

Gale Thorpe is survived by a sister, Grace Thorpe, and step-brothers Jack, Richard and Bill Thorpe. Funeral services are pending.

Jim Thorpe, who also played professional football and baseball, died in 1953 and is buried in Jim Thorpe, Pa.