Earl F. Gebel died May 31st at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. He was 76. Earl died at the hospital after a short bought with pancreatic Cancer.
He was a CPA by trade and is known for his sense of humor and non-judgmental attitude. He had many friends and extended “family”; many of whom called him “Uncle Earl”. He and his wife, Michol, were longtime boosters and fans of the UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team.
To know Earl was to know some, if not all, of his sayings aka Earlisms, but one that everyone knew was “live to eat, not eat to live” – and he did. He enjoyed food and wine immensely, but enjoyed those surrounding him at those meals (especially Thanksgiving) even more.
Born in Chicago, and grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois, his father was killed in World War 2 when Earl was 18 months old. Raised by his mother but always with his father’s siblings, Marcela (Lantanzio) Gebel, Earl Vernon Gebel and his grandmother, Gertrude close by. He received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a CPA from University of Illinois. He was part of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Gebel had a successful corporate career in accounting and finance eventually earning the title of CFO of a large moving company. He moved his family out to the “land of fruit and nuts”, Southern California, in 1979. In the late 90’s and early 2000’s he began the second stage of his career as a venture capitalist, which lead him into the film business where he took pride in becoming a production accountant of several years on such films as “Tool Box Murders 2”, “Mortuary” and “Heart of Stone”. He would later settle in Santa Barbara County, calling Carpentaria home for the majority of his later years.
He was a loving, supportive husband, father, friend and grandpa to his grand dog, Zoe. He is survived by his wife Michol Colgan-Gebel of Santa Barbara, his first-wife and their children: Erin Gebel and Amy (Robert) Leber, his brothers, Joel Morreale and Len Morreale. His son, Michael, preceded him in death.
At Earl’s request no services will be held.
