Bob Gabler

Feb. 7, 1956 - Dec. 1, 2024

Bob Gabler lost his 25-year battle against brain cancer on Dec. 1, 2024, while at his home outside Greybull.  He was 68 years old. Through excellent care in Denver and Phoenix, along with his own strong intellect, tenacity and optimism he was able to keep the demon at bay for that many years.

Robert Alexander Gabler, Jr., was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., to Delores and Robert Alexander Gabler, Sr., Feb. 7, 1956.

While a young man in his hometown of Uniontown, Pa., Bob took classical piano lessons. He arrived for his regular lesson one day and informed the teacher that he was no longer going to be taking piano lessons, as he had joined a rock and roll band. He was a member of two rock and roll bands in his lifetime and followed live performances of music, from classical to rock and roll throughout his life.

In 1971 he was a member of a hiking and exploring educational group from Pennsylvania who hiked, camped and learned mountaineering skills on a two-week trek in the Beartooth Mountains.  That was the beginning of his love of the West.

He worked summer jobs in 1974 in the historic town of Virginia City, Mont. He returned numerous summers and off season to renew that affiliation. He enjoyed the dynamic history and the myriad of characters still living in that 1860s gold rush town. Later, after graduating from CU Boulder and various jobs in the Boulder/Denver area, he made his home in Virginia City and in 1996 was elected mayor of that town.

Before graduating from CU, Bob attended NOLS in Lander, Wyo., where he learned survival, leadership and mountaineering skills. New Year’s Eve, 1975, he was a member of a team led by famed mountaineer Paul Petzoldt when they climbed and camped on the summit of The Grand Teton. They slept in self-made ice caves and practiced extreme survival skills.

Bob graduated from CU Boulder with a degree in geography. He was an intrepid traveler, covering most of Western Europe, Central America, Canada, Mexico, the Mediterranean and the Middle East as a young man. He lived in Greece where he learned to speak the language, and in Mexico in studies outlined by CU Boulder. He was an avid rafting enthusiast and oarsman, whether it was white water or a scenic float. His favorite was the after-permit season on the Main Salmon River with a group of friends. He chased currents on most of the major western rivers. He was an avid reader and always said that books were his friends.

In the early 1990s he started a retail business in Virginia City, Mont.  In 1997, after the Montana Legislature voted to purchase the historic Bovey Restoration properties in Virginia City and Nevada City, Montana, he and his partner, Marilee, stepped up to the plate with a proposal to operate and manage the state-owned properties. They borrowed a considerable amount of money to clean up the mess that had been left by previous management and to improve related facilities. They had an economically successful tourist season and when that information hit the papers, people who wanted a piece of the action came out of the woodwork.

Bob and Marilee took their enthusiasm and know how to Cortez, Colo., where they restored a decrepit creamery building, turning it into an entertainment venue, restaurant and bar. Their venue featured in-house comedy, children’s plays performed by a professional group out of Denver, classical, bluegrass and rock and roll performances.

Bob’s second diagnosis of cancer curtailed their progress there and they had to close the business.

They returned to Virginia City, tried a few years in Sedona, Ariz., finally settling just outside Greybull, Wyo., where they enjoyed their beautiful location, great neighbors and the open grandeur of Wyoming.

Stillwater Hospice is to be thanked and commended for the kind care and friendship they gave to Bob and Marilee throughout his last battle with brain cancer.

Bob was preceded in death by his mother Delores Haut Gabler, Uniontown, Pa. 

He is survived by his significant other of 32 years, Marilee, Greybull; father, Robert A. Gabler, Sr., Uniontown, Pa.; sister, Laura Gabler Michael (Dave), Jamestown, Tenn.; brother, Charles Gabler (Sheila), Uniontown, Pa.

No immediate plans for internment have been made.