Robert John Joseph Gabriel's Obituary
Robert John Joseph Gabriel was born on March 13, 1948. He went to be with God after a long and and full life on August 23, 2023, at the age of 75.
Bob is preceded in death by his father, Robert E. Gabriel, and his late beloved wife, Kathy Gabriel.
He is survived by his mother Mary Gabriel and sister Tina Glander of New York; wife Debbie Holmes Gabriel of Cave Springs; son Jason and daughter-in-law Kristy Gabriel of O’ahu; daughter Erika and son-in-law Michael Paul of Rogers; and grandchildren Reece, Mikey, Kathleen, Malley, Mia, Nora, Ruby, Mabel, Andre, Brooks, Paxton, Knox, Denver, Bryce, Autumn, and Jackson.
Bob worked as a special education teacher in New York for over 30 years and loved his students dearly. He was an avid snowboarder, motorcyclist, and surfer. He loved spending time in what he considered his second home, Hawaii. He was married to the love of his life for over 40 years, Kathy, and together they had two beautiful children. Later in life, he moved to Arkansas to be near his grandkids, and his favorite thing was spending time with them and making them laugh. In Arkansas, he met his wife, Debbie, and with Debbie came 4 new kids and 12 new grandkids who he loved as his own. He spent his time in retirement working on his projects. Serving his neighbors was his passion, and he was given the affectionate nickname, “Bob the Builder,” by his community.
A celebration of life will be held Friday, September 1, 2023, at 3:00PM at The Neighborhood Church in Bentonville. A visitation will be an hour before at 2:00PM.
Bob was loved and will be missed by so many people that he served so well.
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