Obituary of Joseph John Gabriel

In the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 2019, Joseph John Gabriel passed away in Victoria Hospital, London, Ontario. Joseph was born to Anthony Robert and Theresa Rita (Spreng) Gabriel on January 26, 1941 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. He enjoyed childhood in South River, NJ, attended the US Military Academy at West Point, NY, and completed his secondary education at the South River High School. Joe first pursued a career in education. Studying first at East Stroudsburg State College, he went on to attain Master of Arts degrees in School Psychology and in Behavioral Sciences at Newark State College and Kean College, respectively. He taught at International Schools in Bangkok and Tanganyika, and in New Jersey. He went on to further his education in psychology, completing a Doctorate (PhD) in Psychology at the Florida Institute of Technology (1981). Joe Gabriel began his career in clinical psychology in New York City where he was inspired by a vibrant community of fellow psychologists. Emigrating to Nova Scotia, Canada, he accepted a clinical psychology position at the Nova Scotia Hospital in 1983. Over the next 20 years there, he worked with the Child and Adolescent, Forensic, and adult outpatient services. Concurrently, Joe maintained a private practice with special focus on anxiety, depressive, bereavement and post-traumatic stress disorders, and on forensic psychology. Joe Gabriel is remembered for his warm, welcoming face and voice, his love of conversations and his dedication to understanding the depth of the lives of his patients. His passion for piecing together life stories extended to his enjoyment of books and movies of all categories. Appreciation of the human experience through accounts of great figures and eras in world history was ever his pursuit. A gifted athlete by nature, Joe was an avid follower of many sports teams and players – particularly college football. He was husband to Diane Elizabeth (Eastwood), father to Joellyn Marie (Johnson), Joseph Eli Glauda, Laura Hope and Matthew Joseph, and brother to Anthony Robert. Following cremation, a Funeral Mass was celebrated on the morning of June 12, 2019 at the Sisters of the Precious Blood Monastery in London, ON. When possible, arrangements will be made, at Joe’s request, for scattering of ashes from the George Washington bridge in New York City, and for a private interment service at the Washington Monumental Cemetery in South River, NJ. Online condolences may be left at www.mpcemetery.ca