Herbert Francis Gabriel

1919 - 2015

Herbert Francis Gabriel December 14, 1919 - December 3, 2015 OCEANSIDE Herb was born in Oceanside in 1919. He graduated from Oceanside High School in 1937 and the University of California Dental School in San Francisco in 1943 after an accelerated curriculum due to WWII. While at UCSF, he met Betty Houghton of Corning, California, who was a student at the University of California School of Nursing. They were married in April 1944.After graduation, Herb joined the U.S. Army Air Forces as a dental surgeon. He was with 507th Fighter Group that landed on Ie Shima off the west coast of Okinawa in June 1945. After his military discharge in 1946, Herb and Betty moved to Encinitas, where Herb practiced dentistry with his older brother Oscar. In 1949, Herb and Betty settled in Oceanside, where Herb established his own dental practice, specializing in orthodontics. After retiring in 1987, Herb and Betty divided their time between Oceanside and their ranch and prune orchard west of Corning on land that had been in the Houghton family since 1870. Herb passed away on December 3, 2015, in Corvallis, Oregon, where he had been enjoying an extended visit with his son Greg and family. Herb died peacefully, with his son and daughter-in-law at his bedside, a few days after suffering a stroke. Herb is survived by his son, Doug; his son Greg and daughter-in-law, Adriana; and nine nieces and nephews.A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., on Thursday, January 14th at St. Michael's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Carlsbad, CA.