James "Jim" F. Gabriel

James "Jim" Frank Gabriel, 87, of Aberdeen, SD, unexpectedly passed away at home on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, just shy of his 88th birthday.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, with Father Greg Tschakert officiating.

A time for fellowship and luncheon will follow Mass.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 3, at Schriver's Memorial Chapel, with a liturgical wake service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation continues one hour before the service at the church.

All who knew Jim are invited to come and celebrate his servant-led life with his family. He has been cremated and will finally be laid to eternal rest with his wife, Helen.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be sent to Area IV Senior Meals.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook at www.schriversmemorial.com. Services will be recorded and posted on Schriver’s website following the service.

James “Jim” Frank Gabriel was born to Regina (Sahli) and Frank Gabriel on October 14, 1937, in Trail City, SD. Living an impoverished life in a tar-paper shack with a dirt floor, the family moved to Aberdeen in 1950 in search of a better life. Jim spent the rest of his life living in Aberdeen, where he created and lived a life he loved.

Jim was the youngest of four children, including his brother Roy, and his two sisters Geraldine and Leona. He attended St. Mary’s School and Aberdeen Central High School, where he caught the eye of a beautiful young woman, Helen Marie Price. They were married on August 16, 1958, at 20 and 19 years old, and were together for almost 64 years. Jim and Helen’s marriage was something to behold; they truly encompassed loyalty, love, commitment, and trust in their union. They learned the true meaning of “through sickness and health” and also the true meaning of a life worth living. He gifted her with one red rose every Saturday throughout their marriage and on their anniversary – a bouquet with one red rose for every year they had been married. They had three children, Kari Sue, David, and Daniel, and gave them a childhood filled with pool days in the backyard, neighborhood friendships, road trips, and ski trips that are still talked about to this day. Jim also served in the National Guard in the early years of their marriage.

One of Jim’s guiding tenets in life was working hard to gain the life you wanted, and he started early. As a young boy, Jim worked after school and during the summers making deliveries for Candy Service Company. He worked his way up and eventually bought into the company to partner with Duane Riedel, until they sold the company when he was 50. He stayed on for two more years during the transition and then completely retired at the age of 52. Helen was not a fan of his early retirement when he took over “her” kitchen, but he ended up being the main (and pretty good) cook over time. He loved making pot roast, and his family's favorite was his steaks. His grandkids have been known to say to their parents, “This isn’t as good as grandpa’s steak”.

He took a five-year hiatus after retiring to enjoy hunting and learn how to relax (something he never did accomplish), until he went back to work with his son David at “The Market” corner grocery store and meat market. He worked with David for nine years, and then was on to his next project, which was building a home on Pickerel Lake. He and Helen spent as much time there as possible over 21 years, enjoying time spent with their children and grandchildren. They loved to fish, have campfires, take the pontoon out, and Helen loved to do projects with the grandkids, like rock tumbling and making chokecherry jam, while Jim mowed the lawn. They wore out several vehicles chasing Dan & Cathy’s kids all over SD for sporting events, and they made frequent trips to Montana to visit Kari and her family.

Jim was honored to become a full-time caregiver to Helen, as she endured lymphoma, leukemia, and terminal lung cancer. Before Helen passed, Jim was given very direct instructions to take good care of their dog, Lucy, and he certainly went above and beyond to make that happen. Jim was almost always accompanied by his faithful friend Lucy, sitting in the passenger seat of his pickup truck. He was passionate about serving his community and delivered senior meals daily for more than 20 years before Helen got sick. He rarely missed daily Mass, and he was ready and looking forward to meeting his Lord and to be reunited with the love of his life, Helen.

Jim is survived by his daughter Kari Sue (Richard Griffin) of Kalispell, MT; son David of Sioux Falls, SD; and son Dan (Cathy) of Watertown, SD; grandchildren, Ariel (Karen) Berg-DiGangi of Lolo, MT, Logan (Allison) Gabriel of Minneapolis, MN, Jordan Gabriel of Sioux Falls, SD, Brennan (Mateya) Gabriel of Sioux Falls, SD, and Addysan Gabriel of Phoenix, AZ; and his very faithful and special dog, Lucy.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife Helen, his parents, and all of his siblings.