Gabrielle Dudley

1960 - 2019

Gabrielle Dudley

Gabrielle Dudley (née Miller), age 58, passed away on January 31, 2019 from ovarian cancer, stepping out of time and into eternity with her Creator. No doubt she had a grand reception, waltzing right into the loving arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she served so faithfully throughout her life. Her mantra was "eyes on Jesus" as she fought cancer with courage and stamina. She wrote openly and inspirationally through her blog (WeLoveGabrielle.blogspot.com). She leaves a huge void in the lives of her husband of 36 years, Dr. Steve Dudley, daughter Renée (Riley) Dudley, son Dr. Daniel Dudley, sisters Marti (Merle) Reeder and Xan Kristjansson, along with a host of extended family and friends.

She grew up on Queen Anne hill, where she showed her precocious confidence and courage in such acts as stopping the school bully and protesting the "no pants for girls" rule at her elementary school. At Queen Anne High she excelled in academics and sports. She then went on to graduate from Seattle Pacific University. In 1978 she met a college dropout on the Seattle waterfront and argued with him about the merits of higher education. Using her powers of persuasion, she convinced him to return to school. He was a hard sell, but Gabrielle--being who she was--persisted and made him an offer he couldn't refuse: she'd foot the bill, house and feed him, marry him, and give him the two greatest kids in the world. Together they embarked on a grand adventure, creating a loving home that was warm and welcoming to all. Along the way, she swapped her pigtails and overalls for professional business attire and had a stellar career in planned giving and development. She raised tens of millions of dollars for institutions such as UW, WSU, Seattle Children's Hospital, and SPU. At Children's, she pioneered the major gifts program and raised money for both research and patient care. She was so successful that when her children were young they drew a cartoon for her office door warning people to "stay away unless you're prepared to write a big check to Children's." She was a mentor to others in the field, and many former colleagues trace their beginnings to the nurturing she gave them. Gabrielle was also a bold social justice advocate. She was a stand-in mom to many young LGBTQ people and an invaluable encourager to anyone who needed extra support.

Gabrielle loved Jesus, Cannon Beach, great food, deep conversation, laughter, hiking, snowshoeing, boating, traveling, and snorkeling in Maui. She traipsed all over Europe with that same college dropout. She summited Mt. Rainier. She threw awesome parties and was a fiercely loyal friend. She will be forever missed, but always in our hearts.

A memorial service will be held on Sat., Feb. 23 at 1:00 PM at

Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church.

All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to ovarian cancer research through a fund we have

set up for her at Fred Hutch:engage.fredhutch.org/goto/gabrielle Guest book at: www.becksfuneralhome.com