
An adored Monmouth-Roseville teacher is being remembered as fun, caring and a motivator by his students, colleagues and friends.
Brian Gabel, a social studies and economics teacher and wrestling coach at Monmouth-Roseville High School for the last 10 years, died Nov. 21, 2024, after a valiant struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64.
“Beyond the textbooks, Dr. Gabel knew that teaching was not just about delivering information, but about connecting with students, helping them find their voice, and encouraging them to dream big,” said Ed Fletcher, Monmouth-Roseville superintendent of schools. “I think his greatest skill was advocating for his students.
“He seemed to always be there for whoever needed him in whatever way it took…. A snack, advice, or even tough love if that is what he thought a student needed. His understanding of what students needed is what made him special to so many.”
A 1979 Galesburg High School graduate, Gabel immediately enlisted in the Air Force where he served for 20 years and completed missions around the world. His many accomplishments included coordinating security for the Air Force Thunderbirds and being with the first Air Force security unit deployed to Antarctica. His final military assignment was to Scott Air Force Base where he served in the Inspector General’s office. He retired in 1999 as Chief Master Sergeant.
Obituary: Brian S. Gabel: August 14, 1960 ~ November 21, 2024
It was during President Ronald Reagan’s term that he was recruited to complete Army Ranger training which then led him to be a S.W.A.T. trainer at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. His many accomplishments included coordinating security for the Air Force Thunderbirds and being with the first Air Force security unit deployed to Antarctica.
Gabel had a life-long drive to continue his education and received a Master’s Degree, a Doctorate and PhD. After his retirement from the Air Force, he began his second career as a teacher. He taught in juvenile detention homes, prisons and high schools where he sought to provide sound advice and insight to prepare each child for success.
“The legacy he left behind for the students and staff in Monmouth-Roseville was not in the lesson plans or the grades on a paper, but in the hearts and minds of those he touched,” Fletcher said.
“Brian Gabel was a devoted teacher, a cherished colleague and friend. It’s never easy to say goodbye, but it is in moments like these that we come to realize the profound impact one person can have on the lives of so many.”
Fletcher said the school community has reacted with “immense sadness” to Gabel’s passing.
“Saying goodby is never easy, but our students and staff now realize the profound impact he has had on the lives of anyone blessed enough to know Dr. Gabel,” Fletcher said.
Students unite to honor beloved teacher

Students at Monmouth-Roseville are uniting to honor that impact with the Blankets of Love project, headed up by M-R teaching colleague and friend Chrissy Russell. The blankets will be donated in Gabel’s memory to the VA Clinic in Galesburg for local veterans, to local hospice organizations and St. Jude’s in Peoria.
Russell coordinated a similar project when 12-year-old Monmouth student Riley Thomas lost her battle with cancer in 2016.
“It was a great way for the students to do something to honor her, and keep her memory alive,” Russell said. “When Dr. Gabel lost his battle, I tried to think of something that would also keep his memory alive but include his students, friends and family.
“The blanket project is a great way for the students to be involved, give to their community and people in need as well as bring them together to share stories of their time in his classes.”
The Blankets of Love project continues through the month of January, and the blankets will be delivered in February. Monmouth-Roseville is accepting donations of fleece material, in addition to cash donations to assist with the project.
‘Once you met him, you never forgot him’

Russell said she continues to miss Gabel everyday.
“I’ve known Brian — or Gabel as I called him — for four years,” Russell said. “His classroom was down the hall from mine until this year when my room was moved right next door to him. He was my hall buddy, friend and go-to guy. He was a great friend and someone I miss dearly each and every day.”
Russell and Gabel shared hall duty together, a time when she said they liked to interact with students in a more informal way.
“We loved to talk to and tease the kids when they walked by,” Russell said. “There could always be laughter heard when Gabel was around. The kids adored him. He was fun and ornery and always had a good story to tell. He never knew a stranger and was always willing to help anyone in need.
“He was very supportive of the students and their activities in and out of school. He coached wrestling for several years so the wrestling kids also held a special place in his heart. As you know, if you ever met Dr. Gabel, you would never forget him.”
Upon returning to the Galesburg area in 2014, he reunited with his fourth-grade sweetheart, Darla (Krisher) Powell and they married in 2016.
He is survived by his wife Darla Powell of Knoxville; his mother June Gabel and step-father Kenneth P. Swanson, and brother, Brent E. Gabel all of Galesburg; sons Benjamin H. (Meghan) Gabel and Zachary P. Gabel of Millstadt; and step-son Marvin (Andrea) Powell and their children.
For more information on Blankets of Love, contact Russell at crussell@mr238.org, or at (309) 259.9023.