Melvin "Mel" John Gabel

Memorial services for MELVIN “MEL” JOHN GABEL will be held at 1pm Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the first Baptist Church in Torrington. Immediately following the service there will be a celebration of life reception for Melvin at the Pony Express Room. Memorials can be made to the First Baptist Church in Mel's name. The Colyer Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements and condolences may be sent to www.colyerfuneralhome.com. Mel died peacefully at the Goshen Health care center in Torrington on February 12, 2026, with his loving wife Nita at his side. He was 88 and succumbed to congestive heart failure which plagued him for the last several years of his life. Mel, a Wyomingite through and through who grew up in Worland, was a self-made man. Mel was born a twin on Christmas Day, 1937, in Scottsbluff Nebraska. The family moved to Worland when he was two. His father died when he was young, leaving his mother to raise him, his three older siblings (Herman - who died in a car crash as a teenager, Evelyn, and Hazel) and his twin brother Marvin. Melvin and Marvin were essentially on their own in high school, living together in the family basement home after their mother remarried and moved to be with her new husband. As a youth, Melvin earned money in a variety of ways - setting pins at the local bowling alley, helping out at the drug store, and doing odd jobs for the local funeral parlor (including stashing the Elks Club slot machines in the basement when there was a threat of a raid.) Along the way he earned his Eagle Scout rank and became a member of the Order of the Arrow, a scouting recognition for those with a "cheerful spirit of service" - a phrase that would come to define his life. At 18 and against family advice, Mel enrolled in Powell Junior College (now Northwest College) to play football, making him the only family member to attend college. He subsequently transferred to the University of Wyoming where he met Nita at the Baptist Student Union. After a brief courtship they married on January 30, 1960. After Mel received his B.A. degree in Education from UW, the couple moved to Glenrock where he taught math and coached football. Following a year of graduate school in San Diego working toward his master's degree the couple moved to Torrington in 1965. He taught high school math at Torrington High School for 32 years, serving as a class sponsor and Prom supervisor for many different classes. He was a lifetime member of the National Education Association and the Wyoming Education Association. Always athletic, he coached wrestling for a time before moving into officiating. His long career as a wrestling and football official ted to his induction into the WHSAA Wyoming Sports Officials Association Hall of Fame in 2002. ln his post-teaching years, he served as a data collector, traveling around Wyoming and the United States interviewing research study participants. Mel and Nita are Long-time members of First Baptist Church in Torrington, and Mel served in a variety of roles over the years - Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, deacon, trustee, board chair, worship service leader, handyman, etc. He started a program (called The VIP Program) at the church for intellectually disabled people. Every Sunday the bus from Diversified Services, lnc. would bring these lovely people to First Baptist, where Mel and his co-leader would teach them Bible Lessons and sit with them during worship. The sharing of prayer concerns was always an interesting moment in the service. One of Mel's great passions was Camp WYOMBA, a Baptist church camp on Casper Mountain where he served as a counselor and member of the WYOBA Board. Perhaps most impactfully, he supported a scholarship program for First Baptist's youth to pay for a week of camp, encouraging the youth raise 50% of their cost and the scholarship would pay the rest. Mel's "cheerful spirit of service" showed up in many ways. He was a Master Freemason, serving in various leadership roles at Masonic Lodge #29 in Torrington. He served on the board of Golden Manor Senior Housing for 40 years. He was a member of Kiwanis and Lions clubs. His involvement in Lions was noteworthy, and it meant a great deal to him. As a Lion, Mel worked with the club's sponsorship of Miss Merry Christmas each year. He would always escort her to visit the local Senior Care Centers. ln 2015 he received the Lions Clubs International Melvin Jones Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services. He helped open the Torrington club up to women members and encouraged former students to join. In 2025 Mel was inducted into the Wyoming Lions Club Hall of Fame. ln addition to his various civic involvements, Mel enjoyed golf, playing bridge, drinking coffee with his friends, bumping into former students, playing the penny slots, attending his grandchildren's sporting events, and cheering for the Torrington Trail Blazers and Wyoming Cowboys. Perhaps Melvin is best described by one of the condolence messages the family received: "When Mel walked into a room, everyone there was his friend - they just might not know it yet." Whether sitting next to someone on an airplane, waiting for a restaurant table, or talking to an usher at a ballgame, Mel never met a stranger. He was a kind and gentle soul who had the gift of gab and connected easily with everyone. ln addition to his wife Nita, Mel is survived by his three children Tim (Lisa), Tom (Patricia Gallivan), and Mary (Rob Willis) as well as his four grandchildren Colby (Dave Moore), Kelsey (Trey Ratliff), Ben, Abby, three great grandchildren (Emma, Ford, Sadie) and many nieces and nephews who loved him. His Legacy is also carried by the thousands of students whose lives he touched.

Melvin "Mel" John Gabel

December 25, 1937 - February 12, 2026