Allan J. Gabel Obituary
On Feb 14, 2024, Allan "Jerry" Gabel, a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, passed away surrounded by family at Evergreen Retirement Community in Oshkosh, WI. Allan was 87 years old and was born on July 29, 1936 to Alexander and Dorothy Goebel of Milwaukee WI.
Allan is survived by three brothers, Tom (Loris), Bob (Marsha), and Larry; four sons, David (Kathy), Daniel (Melanie), Dennis (Melody) and Douglas (Shelly); eight grandchildren, Matthew (Missy), Amanda (Abe), Victoria, Madison, Tanner (Mykayla), Evan, Trevor and Cadence; two great-grandchildren Preston and Mason. Allan is preceded in death by his wife of 64 years Jeannine; two brothers, John (Bonnie) and Paul (Char); and his parents Alex and Dorothy.
Allan was born and raised in Milwaukee with his 5 brothers and met his wife Jeannine in high school. Allan and Jeannine began their married life in Milwaukee and moved to Sussex, WI where they raised their family and lived for 54 years. Allan began his career at AC Sparkplug where he received an apprenticeship in Tool & Die Mfg and finished his professional career working as a Design Engineer at Milwaukee Gear. Allan was blessed with an early retirement at the age of 57.
Allan had three passions that he enjoyed throughout his life. Music was always a large part of Allan's life starting with a family band, high school band, and singing. Allan belonged to a male chorus that began as the AC Spark Plug Male Chorus, became the Milwaukee Male Chorus and finally the VFW Post 39 Legion of Song in Elm Grove, WI. Allan and Jeannine also sang in their church choir throughout their marriage.
Allan's second passion was enjoying the outdoors camping, canoeing, and fishing. Allan was a troop leader in the Lutheran Rangers and Boy Scout Troop 95 where he mentored his four sons and many other young boys on camping and outdoor skills. In addition, Allan enjoyed many canoe trips with his lifelong friends from the male chorus. Allan loved fishing for walleye with his son's and family at Gummeson's Camp in Ignace Ontario which he did regularly starting in 1945 until his last trip in 2019.
Allan's greatest passion was woodworking which was a lifelong hobby of his. Allan's interest in woodworking began by making model boats in a small room under the staircase at his childhood home. His skills evolved to that of a master craftsman which is evident by his legacy of beautiful pieces of furniture, clocks, and custom projects that he completed in his lifetime. If you knew Allan it's very likely you have a gift from him with the words "Handcrafted by Allan Gabel" branded on it. As Allan aged, he returned to his original love of model making and built intricate models of wagons, planes, race cars, and his favorite, ChrisCraft boats.
The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Evergreen Retirement Community and Generations Hospice in Oshkosh WI for the loving care they provided for Allan.
Funeral service will be held at Peace Lutheran Church (Sussex) on Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024. Visitation is from 10:30-12:00 pm, Church service from 12-1pm, followed by a graveside commitment ceremony at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Milwaukee.
