Obituary of Lyndon Gabriel

A. Lyndon Gabriel was born on April 19th, 1941 in Vancouver, Washington, and lived most of his life in Oregon and Washington.  He earned his Eagle Scout in 1957 and graduated from Crook County High School, Prineville, Oregon, in 1959. 

Enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, he served as a ground electronics countermeasures technician from 1959 to 1964, first in Misawa, Japan, and then in Trabzon, Turkey.  It was during this time that he began courting Carol V. Loron of Camas, Washington via letter correspondence, finally convincing her to marry him on September 19th, 1965.  Upon leaving active duty service, Lynn pursued his engineering degree, first at Clark College and then at the University of Portland, graduating in 1969. 

Lynn worked for the Bonneville Power Administration in a variety of positions over the course of his career, culminating in his service as the Head of the Field Services Test Unit, retiring in 1999 after 32 years of civil service.  He earned his Professional Engineer’s License and was a Senior Member of the IEEE.  Lynn also continued to serve his country in the US Air National Guard as a communications officer, earning a field commission in 1967 and rising to the rank of Major, retiring in 1984.

He and Carol have two sons, Peter L. Gabriel of Buena Vista, Colorado and Christopher L. Gabriel, of Chesapeake, Virginia.  They also consider their foreign exchange student, Eerika Jarvikallio, of Espoo, Finland, and goddaughter, Molly March of Chehalis, Washington as their unofficially adopted daughters.

Throughout his life, Lynn served Jesus Christ with his time and with his hands.  He was quick to volunteer to help others in need, and was an accomplished handyman and electrician, in addition to being active in Boy Scouts of America.  He crafted beautiful pieces of furniture, decorations, and flag boxes out of wood, and loved making sawdust in his woodshop with his children, family, and friends.  In addition to woodworking, he enjoyed spending time with family and friends.  He and Carol were worldwide travelers, living in Kempton Park, South Africa for 2 years, and made multiple trips to Finland, Spain, Korea, Germany, Italy, and South Africa over the years.

A member of the East Vancouver Community Church, Lynn served Christ on multiple short-term missions trips, including two to Mexico, one to New Mexico, and six to Honduras in support of Projecto Manuelito.

Lynn was a cancer survivor and fought the good fight against ALS.  He was blessed by many wonderful caregivers during the last few years of his life.  He finished the race on March 7th, 2019, and now wears a crown of victory, standing in the presence of Christ Jesus the Lord.  He went peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

He is survived by his beloved bride of 53 years, Carol; his son Pete, his daughter-in-law Marty, and their children Anna, Jim, and Robbie; his son Chris, his daughter-in-law Kim, and their children Vivian, Truman, Will, and Brennan; his sister Diana Loop and brother George Gabriel; and many other family members and friends.

A celebration of Lynn’s life will be held at the East Vancouver Community Church, 12415 SE 7th Street, at 1:00pm on June 1st, 2019.  In lieu of flowers or gifts, Lynn would love it if you made a donation to Projecto Manuelito through Hope Teams International; the ALS Association; or Paralyzed Veterans of America.