Janice Noreen Gabriel

Janice Gabriel - our beloved Mother, Wife, Sister, and Daughter - of Newnan, Georgia, passed away on February 18th, 2025 and is at peace after a long and courageous battle with GIST cancer.

Janice, 69, was born on August 15th, 1955 to William and Doris Talbot in Los Angeles, California. She attended West Torrance High School, graduating in 1973. Several years later, Janice pursued her passion in writing when she studied Journalism at El Camino College. She grew up loving California as her "home", and always had a lifelong love for the beach and the ocean.

In 1982, Janice found her calling and passion for providing exemplary customer service at Western Airlines, which eventually had her joining Delta Air Lines after they merged. She remained with Delta Air Lines in a variety of airport positions (including in Los Angeles, CA, and Augusta, GA) before finally working in several roles in the Delta Headquarters in Atlanta, GA. She excelled at every job she had with the utmost of ambition, and was a fun loving and loyal counterpart to her coworkers. While she was with Consumer Affairs at Delta, she achieved the Chairman's Award. She retired from Delta Air Lines in 2020.

After retiring from Delta Air Lines, Janice pursued and achieved a lifelong goal to be a Real Estate Agent after passing the Georgia Real Estate Exam. She joined Coldwell Banker and eventually LPT Realty brokerages and made lifelong friends wherever she went as she pursued this passion. She was highly committed and dependable to her fellow realtors and brokers, and loved by many who revered her work ethic and lovable personality.

Janice met her husband Ronald Gabriel at Delta Air Lines, and they married in a very spontaneous wedding on Redondo Beach, CA, on September 14th, 1992. Janice and Ronald were life partners, and he cared for her selflessly for many years while she was undergoing treatments at home, as well as in Houston and Boston. They very much liked sitting in the backyard together enjoying life, getting Mexican food together, or occasionally escaping to a nearby casino for some penny slots when they had free time.

Janice's deepest and most profound passion in life was the never-ending and unconditional love and devotion to her three boys, Ryan, Adam, and Ronnie. Janice knew her primary purpose in life was to be a mother and raise her boys and provide for her family. She used this as inspiration every day to fight her cancer for as long as possible. Janice was a fierce supporter of her boys and never stopped short in making sure they were involved in plenty of activities when they were younger…and supporting their every endeavor as they got older and entered their careers. Janice was a cheerleader for them, and a rock that could always be depended on. Janice loved seeing Ronnie many days in Newnan, always got excited when Ryan would visit from Orlando, or when Adam would visit from his career endeavors in far off countries. Janice moved mountains for her children and loved them forever and always.

Janice loved beaches and lighthouses, and enjoyed traveling near and far to visit them. She enjoyed the leaves turning colors of beautiful shades in the fall. Janice enjoyed horseback riding on the beach, and always yearned to do it again. She loved cruising and waking up in a different city every day. Janice enjoyed quality time with her dogs and cats, and supported animal shelters and animal adoptions. Janice loved music, and had a deep affection for the band America, and also enjoyed groups such as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Steve Miller Band…among a very wide variety of other artists. In the evening time, Janice loved watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune on the sofa with family. She regularly enjoyed keeping friends and family up to date on her life through regular Facebook posts.

Janice had a few meal favorites that brought her family out of the woodwork when she made them – such as her famous carrot cake, "yum-yum chili", stuffed jalapeños, meatloaf, and enchiladas. She enjoyed cooking and finding new recipes for her family. She loved Tokyo hibachi where she would order tempura veggies, Mexican restaurants with good margaritas and a patio, or the fried zucchini at Italian Oven.

Janice will be most fondly remembered for her huge smile, her infectious and cheerful personality, and caring demeanor towards all. She had a positive attitude and always said, "where there's a will, there's a way". And Janice had a life full of willpower. Janice always thought of those around her and how she could make their lives better. She selflessly put herself second almost always to improve someone's life or their hardships that they endured. In less than a couple minutes with Janice, one could be inspired and rejuvenated with the spirit of life. She used her story as a GIST survivor of over 25 years to inspire many other GIST patients and give them hope.

Janice is survived by her loving family, including husband Ronald Gabriel, son Ryan Stumpp of Winter Garden, FL, son Adam Stumpp and daughter-in-law Esther Waigwe Gichuhi of Brooklyn, NY, son Ronald "Ronnie" Gabriel Jr. of Newnan, GA, and mother Doris Talbot of Newnan, GA. She will forever be in their hearts, as well as in the hearts of countless other extended family.

Janice was predeceased by her father William Talbot, sister Sandy Skinner, and brother William "Bill" Talbot.

Janice's family wish to extend a special thank you to the enormous number of doctors, oncologists, and other staff that looked after her over the years, including at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA), MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX), and City of Hope Center (Newnan, GA). Her family also wishes to extend a humble thank you to the friends, coworkers, and others that have supported her with thoughts, prayers, and hope over the years. This support kept her strong and determined.

Contributions in memory of Janice can be made to the GIST Cancer Research Fund (https://gistinfo.org) or The Life Raft Group (https://liferaftgroup.org), which supports GIST patients and medical research to battle GIST.

Janice's loss is deeply felt by her family and all of those who knew and loved her.