GABOR S. HIGL

GABOR “GABE” HIGL, age 76, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 25, 2025. Beloved husband of Elizabeth “Betsy” (nee Hanna) for 50 years; loving father of Andrew Higl (Teresa) and Alexandra Higl-Timms (Michael); dearest grandfather of Benjamin Higl, Lucia Higl, Joseph Higl and Samuel Timms; son of the late Geza and Helen Higl; brother of Benedek Higl (deceased), Bela High (deceased) and Agnes Morrow; beloved uncle and dear friend of many. Gabe was a proud graduate of St. Ignatius High School, class of 1967 and Case Western Reserve University. The family suggests contributions to St. Elias Church, 8023 Memphis Ave., Brooklyn, OH 44144 or Sisters of The Incarnate Word www.incarnatewordorder.org. Services at St. Elias Church, Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 11 a.m. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. Family and friends received at THE RIPEPI FUNERAL HOME, 5762 PEARL RD. (AT SNOW RD.), MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2025 from 3-7 p.m. Trisagion service at 6:30 p.m.

Gabe’s story is a remarkable one that deserves more time and space than we have here. I know it because, as his son, he told me lots of stories over the years (often the same ones more than once), and anyone who knew Gabe knows he was one to tell a story.

So for someone who liked to tell stories, here it goes: Born in 1949 in a refugee camp for displaced people in Germany to Hungarian parents, Gabe and his family came to the United States because it was the only place with flights for refugees. Gabe was still a small baby when they left the camp, and a ship across the ocean to some other new home was not an option. Sponsored by an order of nuns in Western Pennsylvania, Gabe and his family began their life in America, living and working at the convent for a short time before opportunity called in Cleveland.

Geza (Gabe’s father) got a factory job in Cleveland, so Geza and Helen, along with their four children, bought a house on Riverside Avenue and began their new lives in America. What ensued looks a whole lot like the American dream. They had a nice house, a connection to the Hungarian community in Cleveland, and lots of friends who had similar stories of leaving Hungary. They were able to send Gabe to St. Ignatius, an experience that clearly shaped Gabe, so much so that he was a proud Wild Cat until his last days (We’re Ignatius men forever…).

After high school, Gabe began college at Case, but school was probably less exciting than being the lead singer in a band (or several bands—lots of name changes and some different members). Reminiscing about his band days also brought a glow to his eyes, and he stayed lifelong friends with several of his bandmates. His proudest story, which he would tell anyone who’d listen, was the night he played at a concert to Save the Allen Theater in April 1972.

While Gabe loved his time in a rock band (hey, who wouldn’t), he met the true love his life Elizabeth (Betsy or Bets, as he often called her). He left the band, finished college, and they began a beautiful fifty-year journey together. While sadly Gabe passed just before their 50th anniversary, I think it is better for us to remember just how full and beautiful those years of marriage were. There were ups and downs, like all lives and marriages, but there was always love, in the hard times and the happy times. They built a beautiful life together, raising two kids, Andrew and Alexandra, setting roots in Parma Heights for nearly forty years. Betsy and Gabe were rarely apart. From the grocery store to yearly trips to Chautauqua, they did everything together. To do that for fifty years is a special, beautiful bond that deserves our celebration and admiration.

As a dad, Gabe was always involved, taking time from work to be there at every event and activity, even taking the time to coach youth sports like soccer for both his kids. Betsy and Gabe sacrificed to make sure their kids had the best education, sending us to Incarnate Word Academy, St. Ignatius, and Padua because they really wanted us to have the best education possible. He was always there for us, in the big and happy times like weddings, baptisms, first communions, graduations. But he was also there in little happy times like a soccer game or concert. He was also there in the tough times with prayers and support and love.

Later in life, with Betsy at his side, Gabe became a grandpa. He was so proud of all of them, so happy to see their faces and especially to tease them just enough that they’d roll their eyes or wonder what grandpa was even talking about. Lucy would dish it right back. Ben wouldn’t know what to say. Joe would look puzzled. Sammy starred at him in wonder. I think he was aiming for a reaction, and he was sure to get it with a joke, a face, or a remark. He loved Cleveland sports and loved sharing that with his grandkids. He loved fishing with his grandkids. And, with Sammy over the last few years, he loved just holding him and making faces at him and reading books, with playfulness, goofiness, and love.

While it was a sad day when we lost my dad, I hope we can grieve with a sense of just how beautiful and amazing his story was and just how lucky we are to be a part of it. For his kids and grandkids, I know he would want us to keep telling that story.