Gabrielle Rosalia Margarit Koehle (nee Spence)
On December 29th, 2021, our beloved Gabrielle was snatched away by an aggressive brain cancer after just 4 short months. Philosopher Marcel Proust said, “We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this, we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future.” At just 34 years of age, Gabi was called home by the Lord.
Gabrielle was an accomplished young woman. A multisport athlete and musician at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, she loved to bake and made amazing birthday and wedding cakes for friends and family. She loved adventure and travel and riding her motorcycle but more than any of these, she loved being a mother. Dempsey (12) and Royston (9) were her reason for being every day. More recently a new love had entered her life. She became engaged to Chris Porteous and was looking forward to becoming his wife later this year. They bonded over their love of basketball, his love for her kids and a mutual craziness that made life fun.
Gabi had a varied career, first as a veterinary assistant and later as a dispatcher for North Vancouver RCMP and most recently in administration with the Squamish RCMP detachment. She was also a requested model in wedding shows, and she loved to garden, do landscaping and play with power tools. She was well loved and respected by her coworkers for always going the extra mile.
Gabi is predeceased by grandparents on the Putti and Spence sides and by her beloved dog Solo. She leaves behind to carry her light forward, her children Dempsey and Royston along with ex-husband Adam (Dara), her parents Judit and Kerry Spence, brothers Adam (Theresa) and Matthew (Yolanda) and sister Adrianna, along with fiancé Chris Porteous, much extended family, and even more friends.
Gabi brought light and love to all she encountered. She was kind and generous.
To know her was to love her.
To the end she was gracious and thankful to her caregivers no matter how uncomfortable the procedures.
Special thanks to all the nurses and staff at Lions Gate Hospital Emergency, 7 East and 7 West, Drs Janicki, Walton and Schroeder and Dr Jessica Chan at the BC Cancer Agency. You gave her hope and helped her maintain her self-respect during this journey.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, January 14th, 2022 at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Parish (2725 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver).
Due to the on-going pandemic, we request those wishing to attend in person, be fully vaccinated and prepared to show their vaccine passport or card at the door . Masks are mandatory.
For those unable to attend in person the service will be live streamed on the Holy Trinity Parish North Vancouver YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuPzM6_SsE_9vSj9Lrz3TCw
Furthermore, due to Public Health Order and implemented restrictions, we regret there will be no public reception at this time – we will plan a celebration of Gabi’s life later in the Spring.
In lieu of flowers, a Go-fund-me page has been created for Dempsey and Royston. We gratefully appreciate any donations to:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-legacy-of-gabrielle-spence-koehle/donate
Or, to the BC Cancer Research Foundation ( https://bccancerfoundation.com/ )