Linda Lee Gabriel

Linda Gabriel (Johnson) was born January fifteenth, 1941 in Tacoma, WA to Alberta (Baker) and Lee Johnson. The oldest of three children, she and her brothers Stephen and Christopher were raised in Lakewood, WA and attended Clover Park High School. Linda also briefly attended The University of Puget Sound. Linda married into the military in March of 1962 to Fred Gleason, which launched her love of travel. Between the years of 1962 and 1971, she lived in Salinas, CA, Newport News, VA (where her eldest daughter Rebecca was born), and El Paso, TX (where her second daughter Laura was born). She returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1972 and settled in Kitsap County. She divorced in 1975 and remained independent for the remainder of her life. In 1973, Linda went to work at Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station. She remained in civil service at the Keyport Location for thirty-three years, earning well-deserved awards for service and many promotions, before retiring as a Program Analyst in 2006. One of her greatest passions was political activism, working for social justice and fighting for the disadvantaged. She was one of the earliest members of the Bremerton Chapter of NOW, a founding member of the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights and a five-year member of the Equal Employment Committee for Keyport. Additionally, she was the vice chair of the Kitsap County 23rd Legislative District Democrats, a party precinct committee officer, and in 1996, a delegate for Washington State to the Democratic National Convention. In 2010, Linda ran for Kitsap Public Utility District Commissioner. She worked tirelessly, campaigning for several progressive initiatives in Washington State, as well as helping to get several public officials elected for which she received a Lifetime Achievement award from the 23rdLD Democrats for years of service. Linda was also an active member of the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship; she contributed to building the new KUUF church in East Bremerton in 1980, served as a member of a ministerial search committee and taught in their childrens program. Also as part of her service to her church, she visited her fellowships partner church in Recsenyed, Romania in 2000. Her many travels also took her to Canada, Mexico, Europe, Western and Eastern Asia, the Caribbean, and around the coast of South America. She loved meeting new people and stepping outside of her own culture. Lindas entire life was about caring for the disadvantaged and being of service to others. She dedicated her life to social justice. In summer of 2012, Linda moved from Kitsap to Tacoma after being diagnosed with cancer, which originally offered three-to-six months expectancy for survival. She surpassed all medical expectations for length of life with dignity, grace, humor and style, finally leaving us peacefully on Tuesday the eighteenth of March, with her daughter Laura and son-in-law Patrick at her side. She is survived by her daughters Rebecca Cutshaw (Gleason)and Laura Miles (Gleason), grandchildren Kayleigh, Brianna, Terra and Lucas, brothers Stephen and Christopher, and step-siblings Paul, Pearce, and Patty. A celebration of life service will be held on Memorial Day, May 25th at 1:00pm, at Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 4418 Perry Avenue NE in Bremerton. Per Lindas request, donations can be made in her name to the American Cancer Society.