David William Gabriel

David Gabriel, 89, of Aurora, Colorado, passed peacefully on Friday, September 12, 2014, in the company of friends and family. David was born in Letts, Iowa, on June 13, 1925, the son of John Conrad Gabriel and Sarah Catherine (Gage) Gabriel. David was a graduate of Parsons College, majoring in business and music. He was an accomplished pianist and organist and enjoyed playing both throughout his life. He was a proud veteran of World War II, during which he served on the crew of a B-17 in the European Theater. He had a career of more than 40 years in the property & casualty insurance industry. He retired as a senior executive from the private insurance industry in 1986 and from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as CEO of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, in 1991. In retirement, David was active in public service, serving as a Board member and President of both the Heather Gardens Metropolitan District and The Heather Gardens Association. He was a Mason and attended Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church. David is survived by his wife of more than 63 years, Carol Jean (Henry) Gabriel; four children, Beth Marie (Gabriel) Martin (husband, Philip), of Columbus Junction, Iowa, Barbara Jean (Gabriel) Hayes (husband, Michael), of Denver, CO, Brian John Gabriel, of Iowa City, Iowa, and D. Bruce Gabriel (wife, Rebecca), of Shaker Heights, Ohio; eight grandchildren: Rory, Caroline and Charlotte Martin, Katherine and Patrick Hayes, Sarah and David Gabriel, and Anne (Gabriel) Jones. A Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 p.m., on Thursday, September 18, 2014, in the Heather Gardens Auditorium, 2888 South Heather Gardens Way, Aurora, CO 80014. Memorials in remembrance of David may be made to: Camp Courageous P.O. Box 418 Monticello, IA 52310 (www.campcourageous.org) or Heather Gardens Foundation 2888 South Heather Gardens Way Aurora, CO 80014 (www.heathergardens.org)