[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 20 (Monday, February 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E148-E149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF LOUISE B. GABRIEL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TED LIEU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 6, 2017

  Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life 
of Louise B. Gabriel--mother, grandmother, wife, philanthropist, 
author, and visionary--who passed away on January 10, 2017.
  Louise lived her life to the fullest with great passion, humor, love 
and dedication to community. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she was one of 
eleven children. At the age of five, her family lost their farm in a 
fire, taking with it all of her family's possessions and cherished 
mementos. It was this experience of loss that instilled in Louise a 
desire to preserve history.
  In 1946, she married Bob Gabriel, an Officer in the United States 
Navy. Together, they moved to West Los Angeles, and eventually made 
their home in Santa Monica, a community with ``the ocean and palm 
trees,'' that Louise loved. Together, the couple celebrated 60 years of 
marriage and worked to support the City of Santa Monica.
  Louise Gabriel was a champion of local Santa Monica history, and 
dedicated her life to preserving the community's unique background. 
With her husband Bob, Louise helped bring the Santa Monica History 
Museum to life, an institution dedicated to the preservation of the 
history, art and culture of the Santa Monica Bay Area. For 27 years, 
Louise served as the museum's President and helped find the permanent 
home that it still resides in today. With the museum, Louise left a 
legacy that will live on for future generations to enjoy as they learn 
about the history of the Santa Monica Bay Area.
  Louise overcame tremendous obstacles in her life without complaint by 
taking life one day at a time. As she was famous for saying, ``I cried 
about having no shoes until I saw someone with no feet,'' a motto her 
family continues to live by. She is survived by her children Susan 
Gabriel Potter, Robb Gabriel, Sharyl Gabriel Szydlik, her sisters 
Josephine Van Buren and Elaine Bruner, her sons-in-law Pat Potter and 
Joseph Szydlik, her grandchildren, and her many nieces and nephews.

[[Page E149]]

Though we have lost a champion and advocate for Santa Monica, I hope 
that her family and friends take comfort in the way Louise lived her 
life as an accomplished and astounding woman. May her memory be a 
blessing to us all.

                          ____________________