Gabriele was born in Esslingen, Germany, to Hans Richard and Anna Luise Schwenkel. She met Alvin Edward Thanem in Wiesbaden, Germany, while he was stationed there during the Berlin Airlift. In December 1949, she immigrated to the United States and stayed with relatives in Schenectady, New York. Gaby and Al kept in touch and were married on December 9, 1950, at the Carswell AFB Chapel, in Texas. They began to raise a family and were restationed to Fairchild AFB, in Washington, and Glasgow AFB, in Montana, before "retiring" to Alvin's home town of Port Angeles.

In 1953, Gabriele became a U.S. citizen. Her hobbies included toll painting, gardening and canning. She traveled to Germany to visit her family many times. They enjoyed traveling to Hawaii and Sedona to visit family.

Gaby and Al used their pasture acreage to raise cattle and board horses. She and Al enjoyed the natural wonders of the Olympic Peninsula with easy access to fishing, camping and shellfish. A visit to Gaby always included an offer of a cup of coffee and baked goods like almond puff pastry, cakes, chocolate chip cookies and schwarzen kuchen. Her handmade spatzle with sauerbraten and gravy or her German potato salad only brings to memory many others, We all know Dad ate well.

One of her most treasured legacies will be the way she always kept our family connected with relatives in Germany. From travels abroad, she taught us the language, customs and traditions that are a part of all us; giving each of us the chance, at youth, to see her homeland, visit our family and expand our view of the world. She was always fondly called and will be remembered by many of us as our Oma.

She is preceded in death by husband, Alvin Edward; daughter, Patricia Ann; mother and father, Hans Richard and Anna Luise Schwenkel; grandson, Jesse Sayre Thanem; brother, Hans and his wife, Elle Schwenkel; sister, Anneliese and her husband, Heinz Reich; brother-in-law, Richard and his wife, Diane Thanem; sister-in-law, Doris and her husbands, Bud and Wendell.

Gaby is survived by children, Richard (Debi), Lars (Babbette), Jan (Rhonda), Steve (Cathy); sister, Traute (Gerd) Braun; sister-in-law, Margaret Dawson; Chip Phillips; and the many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

We express our gratitude to Volunteer Hospice and all the caregivers who took such wonderful care of her. Funeral entrusted to Drennan-Ford in a private family service at Mt. Angeles Memorial Cemetery.

Please sign the online guestbook for her family at www.drennanford.com .