Dana Gabelli

Dana was born on August 13, 1959 at Daniel Freeman Hospital in Inglewood, California to her mother, Barbara Price Earl and her father, Gary Francis Earl. Her brother, Mark, was one year older. She was never lonely with her playmate Mark. She was the color of a peach, a Monet peach, soft golden skin with rosy cheeks. Her hair was so light I taped bows to her head for photos. Her giggle was contagious. Her first cooking experiment was a chocolate sandwich. She was a handful in the most adorable way. She brought joy to everyone she touched.

Dana was gifted in every way I was lacking. I designed and sewed a daisy dress for her. I had sewed one sleeve in twice so the other sleeve was sewed not at all and fell right off. She was artistic from the very beginning. Pottery, photography, design, cooking, in the words of Bob Dylan, “She’s an artist. She don’t look back.” She loved me and I loved her.

Her children, Nigel Christian Reid and Brianna Prajna Mosteller are gifted as their mother. Brianna is an accomplished musician and singer. Bri has written and recorded 3 albums and writes modern music with lyrics from ancient religious poetry. She is a ballerina and scholar, pursuing her History major. Bri teaches advanced yoga. She has worked in the Federal Innocence Project and is an active citizen in her community. Nigel is a computer genius. After receiving his first primitive computer he immediately took it apart. He is, as an adult, a valued computer whiz. Both are gifted musicians. Nig is a popular DJ. Nigel and his mother studied photography and pottery at the college level together and excelled in each. Their mother was so proud of them both as human beings and in their chosen fields.

Dana lived on a farm, in a big city, traveled the world. Wherever she was she established “home.” The LDS church uplifted her heart. She was a dedicated believer and participant and we talked daily about the virtue of sharing, the grace of helping others and gracefully accepting help for yourself. Her active worship in Lubbock made living apart feel safe to me. Her Lubbock family, Pierre, who Yolanda and Celina Gabelli filled her heart and made a home for her. She lived a full life, with all its ups and downs. She found peace. She passed away on Friday, November 21,2025.