We lost our dear Gabriele “Gabby” Darnell, 78, of Great Falls, MT on August 29th, 2021 due to natural causes. Gabriele was born on February 7th, 1943 in Zweibruecken, Germany to Dr. Werner and Waltraud Franck.
In 1961 at 18 years old, Gabby, her mother and stepdad Jack immigrated to Montgomery, Alabama. Entering her new life, the first day she stepped out of the airplane, she bought her first car; a two tone 1955 Ford Fairlane. In 1964, she became a proud United States citizen and soon after she met the love of her life, Robert “Bob” Darnell; The couple were married in 1965.
Since she was passionate about books and literature, she worked for at “Capital Book and News Company” for $0.50/hr. One of her highlights was witnessing the March of Selma, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, met Whoopy Goldberg and Harper Lee.
Being a housewife with typical chores such as cooking, were not her first priorities, she enjoyed going out for dinners, especially with her husband Bob.
In the 1990s, Gabby moved with her longtime friend Christine Foitzik to Great Falls, MT, where they fell in love with the beautiful Paris Gibson Park. They had been best friends for 35 years prior to Chrissy’s passing 3 years ago.
Among many interests, Gabby enjoyed traveling, weekend trips in and around Montana, books, art, cars, gardening and bringing people together. To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
