Gabriele Gabi Mercil, 52, died July 14, 2005 at Altru Hospital, Grand Forks, ND.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:00 PM Monday, July18, 2005 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Brooks, MN with Father Tim Bushy presiding. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery in Brooks, MN.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM Sunday, July 17, 2005 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Brooks, MN with a 7:00 P.M. prayer service on Sunday evening and at the church for one hour prior to the service on Monday.

Gabriele Sylvia Martine was born on March 24, 1953 in Wetzlar, Germany the daughter of Karl and Liselotte (Martine) Schneidenbach. She was baptized and confirmed into the catholic faith and attended school in Hasselborn, Germany.

Gabi was united in marriage to Joseph Mercil on August 15, 1969 in Brandoberndorf, Germany. The couple lived in Germany for eight years and Gabi worked in a factory making gauges and accessories for cars. They moved to Proctor, MN in 1973 and later moved to Hermantown, MN, and helped in their familys cemetery in Duluth. In 1981 Joe and Gabi moved to Brooks, MN where they have since owned and operated the Northland Vault Company.

Gabi enjoyed flowers, visiting at the lake, and crocheting. She was a good cook and always enjoyed cooking German food. Most important to Gabi were her grandchildren. She is a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Brooks and has been a member of the Brooks First Responders since 1990.

She is survived by husband, Joseph of Brooks, MN; daughters, Tammy (Jason) Peters and children, Jade and Jakob of Thief River Falls, MN and Teri (special friend, Aaron Thibert) Mercil of Red Lake Falls, MN; father, Karl Schneidenbach of Gravenwiesbach, Germany; brothers and sisters, Elvira Mosca of Klohn, Germany, Karl-Horst (Annette) Schneidenbach of Germany, Maritta (Jogi) Schild of Gravernwiesbach, Germany, Peter Schneidenbach of Klohn, Germany, Judy Schneidenbach of Gravenweisbach, Germany; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Everill and Annette Mercil of Leesburg, FL; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Judie (Tom) Fallon of Leesburg, FL, Sue (Randy) McRae of Simpsonville, SC and Mary (Billy) Smith of Tacoma, WA; and other American Family members include Lorraine Mercil, Lynae Finseth, Lynette Grove, Lori Ann Mercil, Loring Mercil; and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by daughter, Tanya Jo; mother, Liselotte Schneidenbach; and American sister, Lorna Wicks; and her grandparents.