Marla Gale, a Latter-day Saint influencer and mother of five, has been described by one content creator as being the “Relief Society president of the Latter-day Saint creators.”
Gale is “selfless and she is always about helping others more than trying to elevate her own brand or her own personality,” Latter-day Saint influencer Jasmin Rappleye told the Deseret News.
A community of Latter-day Saint content creators shared an outpouring of support for Gale and her family following a car crash.
The evening of Thursday, May 14, Gale and four of her kids were traveling in a minivan near their home when their vehicle and a semitruck collided at a Saratoga Springs intersection.
Gale was injured and is now facing a long road toward recovery. Her 13-year-old son Parker Gale received critical injuries and died days after the accident.
Rappleye dubbed Marla Gale as the “Relief Society president” of Latter-day Saint influencers because she is always “cheering people on and serving and providing relief where it’s needed.”
“She’s completely consecrated” and has spearheaded relief efforts for other people and creators in need, Rappleye said.
Marla Gale started actively voicing her faith online only about a year ago. Her efforts to invite others to speak up and follow promptings from God have influenced many and have profound impact, particularly behind the scenes of the Latter-day Saint influencer community, Rappleye and a handful of other creators said.
The days following the catastrophic crash have been described as “gut wrenching” and “heartbreaking” by Rappleye and other creators close to the Gale family.
They have also been described as “miraculous” and a testimony of the love that exists for the Gale family.
“I feel like the huge wave of support that has come is a huge testament to who (Marla Gale) is and how many people she has reached out and helped,” Latter-day Saint creator Bethie Beck told the Deseret News.
Who is Marla Gale?
Beck remembers first meeting Marla Gale when the two were kids.
Beck was turning 6, and Gale was about 9. She had just moved into Beck’s neighborhood, and Beck invited her to her birthday party.
Gale “was totally willing to come,” Beck said, adding that this illustrates exactly who she is.
Gale is “so kind and so loving to people,” she said. She is “so willing to be there for people. And so that started our friendship, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Beck added that Gale has manifested that same love and kindness her entire life. She described Gale’s online work and mission as empowering women to follow divine guidance and “find their voice.”
“She has a very strong testimony,” Beck said of Gale, “and she believes that the Lord has put us here for a reason.”
A new Latter-day Saint creator herself, Beck said Gale has been one of her biggest encouragers, regularly checking in on her and helping her navigate self-doubts.
“It’s scary and vulnerable to start sharing your faith online” because it’s sacred, Beck explained. “I wouldn’t be doing it if it weren’t for (Gale’s) encouragement.”
Latter-day Saint creators Beth Martineau and Shayla Egan likewise told the Deseret News about Gale’s work and personal impact.
Gale is “a best friend to everyone,” Martineau said.
She described Gale’s interactions with others, including a recent one with her late son, Parker. They had been filming content together for the Young Men Worldwide Instagram account of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Martineau said she observed how Gale so kindly and gently interacted with her son.
Gale “brings happiness and she just makes you feel like you’re the most important person in the room at all times. … She is like the queen of that.”
Egan called Gale “the gatherer” and described her love of bringing people together.
Gale has organized events for Latter-day Saint creators, including a conference for Latter-day Saint women influencers called the We Are Creators Conference, Egan said.
“Marla is so good at gathering others and helping them with their talents,” Egan said. “She is everyone’s cheerleader.”
How Gale’s community has rallied for support in the wake of tragedy
Family and friends banded together in support of the grieving Gale family almost immediately after the accident. A community of Latter-day Saint influencers also rallied in support of their dear friend and her family.
“Watching this and the amazing amount of people that have done so much for her, it’s changed my view on humanity,” Martineau told the Deseret News. “It’s been miraculous.”
Relief efforts to support the Gale family have included monetary donations. They have also included volunteers offering to help care for and watch over the family’s young kids, Martineau said.
“We’ve just all picked up the pieces,” she said, and tried to be of support to the family.
The Relief Society president of the Gale family’s local church congregation has also been heavily involved in coordinating relief efforts, Egan said.
“She has been working 24 hours nonstop and still making the effort to go up to the hospital to visit with the family and with Marla,” she said.
Many members of the family’s community and church congregation also gathered for a candlelight vigil in support of the family.
God is “helping this family and prompting people to help step in so this family knows that heaven is near,” Egan said.
People have also been donating items and working on making accommodations to facilitate Gale’s eventual recovery once she returns home.
Constant prayers and messages from people across the nation and around the world have also been of great strength to the family, Beck and the other creators said.
The “influencer world” is often looked at negatively, Martineau told the Deseret News.
There’s kind of a “secret influencer society,” however, that no one really ever talks about, she said.
This society includes women of faith and women who love each other, encourage each other and share who they are, Martineau said.
“Marla is part of that, and to see us come together is amazing. … She’s touched every single one of our lives.”
The Gale family is moving forward in faith
Miracles and sacred experiences for Gale and her family have ensued, despite the grief and hardship they’ve encountered after the accident.
Gale’s sister Tiffany Larson has shared updates providing glimpses of these experiences on her Instagram account.
“We are going through something so difficult, but feeling encircled by so much love,” Larson wrote in a highlighted Instagram story dated May 16. “Thank you for walking with us through this ordeal. We appreciate it more than we have adequate words to convey.”
Larson has also conveyed the family’s faith even amid trial.
“As we share this news, we also want to share our deep conviction that our lives are eternal, and that this is not the end for Parker,” Larson wrote in another Instagram story posted May 18.
“... Through Jesus Christ, we deeply believe families are forever, and that one day, Marla and Sam will get to hold Parker in their arms again.”
Beck, who has communicated with the family, expressed admiration for their faith.
There have been so many “tender mercies and miracles” it’s clear that “the Lord is there,” she said.