Obituary of Gerald Joseph Sabel

Gerald Joseph Sabel

Vancouver, Washington

April 23, 1931 ~ October 27, 2018

Gerald (Jerry)Joseph Sabel, 87, of Welches, Oregon, peacefully succumbed to cancer and Parkinson’s Disease surrounded by family on October 27, 2018.

Jerry was born on April 23, 1931 in Portland Oregon to Joseph and Helen (Huston) Sabel. As a boy, he moved to Seattle with his mother and sister Doris. After graduation from Franklin High School, Jerry enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served during the Korean War. After his active duty Navy service, he married  Donna Drake and together they raised a family. Jerry was in the US Navy Reserve for several years after active duty. He worked for The Boeing Company for 38 years, and also worked as a Ranger for the National Park Service at Mt. Rainier National Park.

In the late 1950’s, Jerry became involved in mountaineering, eventually climbing all of the major peaks in the Northwest, including multiple summits on each of  Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Hood. In later years he became an avid sailor and spent time sailing Puget Sound and the Inside Passage in Canada. Jerry spent much of his free time helping others. His volunteer work included working with Seattle Mountain Rescue (Chairman 1966-1969), Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 213 in Seattle, First Aid and CPR instructor for The American Red Cross, he taught mountaineering for The Mountaineers and The American Alpine Club, Volunteer of the Year – Mt Hood Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Mt. Hood Safety Corridor Citizen Advisory Commission, and a member of the Alliance for Community Traffic Safety in Oregon. 

In 1995 Jerry was married to Jean Bennett and they lived in Welches, Oregon until his death.

Jerry is survived by his loving wife Jean, Sister Doris Smith, his four children;  son Stephen and his children Joshua and Justin; daughter Lori (Jim Black); son Stuart (Katie) and his children Zoey Palmer, Cameron (Sarah) and their children Eleanor and Lewis; Alexander (Shannon); Madeline (Jesse) Wells; daughter Gretchen (Mike) Hatcher and their children Michael and Aaron. Jerry was lovingly cared for in his last weeks by his daughter-in-law, Lynn Duncan.

A memorial service for Jerry will be held at 2pm on December 1, 2018 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sandy, Oregon – 39901 Pleasant St, Sandy OR.

In lieu of flowers, the Family asks that donations be made in Jerry’s name to Seattle Mountain Rescue, P.O. Box 67, Seattle, WA 98111, to Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon at www.parkinsonsresources.org, or to Community Home Health & Hospice at www.chhh.org