Patrick Ernest Gamel, Air Force veteran, expert gardener, entrepreneur and steadfast 49ers fan, died on Dec. 3 in the house that he loved with Bobbie, his wife of 58 years, by his side. Patrick, 83, held many occupations throughout his life, but above all he was a devoted husband, father and grampie who enjoyed nothing more than being with his family.
His happy place was working in his garden and his yard with beloved dogs Shadow and later Starbuck playing nearby. He also loved helping people and donated his Covid-era stimulus check to the Salvation Army, which he said had helped his family when he was a child. Patrick was the son of Sanford and Mary Jane (Van Every) Gamel, the third of 10 children. He was born on March 19, 1941, on a farm in Page, Nebraska. The family moved to Boise when he was a teenager, and Patrick graduated from Boise High School in 1958. He lived in San Francisco for a few years but eventually returned to Idaho and joined the Air Force. Patrick later went to work for Morrison-Knudsen as a paymaster on the Hells Canyon Dam project. It was there that he met Bobbie Jo Sherwood, a secretary and “easily the prettiest girl around,” he recalled. Despite that, he thought she talked too much so he tried to have her fired. When that didn’t work, he asked her out. Patrick and Bobbie were married on Feb. 18, 1967, in Boise and have two daughters, Kim and Seana. The family moved to Kemmerer, Wyoming, then to Page, Arizona, where he bought a janitorial service and fulfilled his dream of running his own business. Business slowed at the end of a construction boom so it was back to Idaho — this time for good.
Patrick enjoyed talking to people and soon discovered a talent as a salesman. He retired after several years selling jewelry from his kiosk at Karcher Mall in Nampa. People who knew him earlier in life would have called him Pat. That changed in 1992 when he and Bobbie traveled to Russia to visit Kim, who was working there as a journalist. They also took the train to see friends in Ukraine. He liked the way people there pronounced his full name so he decided to be called Patrick from then on. Seana and her husband, Lee-Mark Ruff, have two children, Alia and Eli, who gave Patrick much joy in his later years. He flew kites with them on the beach, taught them gardening tricks and read “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” to them every year.
He and Alia sang silly duets and he was very proud of her musical accomplishments. Eli is following in his grampie’s footsteps as a 49ers fan, hoping for a better season next year. For his 80 th birthday, Patrick, who loved the ocean, was gifted a trip to the Oregon coast. He was already struggling to walk but made it to the beach, kicked off his shoes and left his footprints in the sand. Patrick made the world a better place and leaves behind much love, memories and a family that will miss him dearly.
In the spirit of his generosity, the family requests that those who feel compelled to honor Patrick make a donation to The Salvation Army, either by dropping some spare change in the red buckets or contributing online at https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/ways-to-give/