A Celebration of Life for Vinton Gabel Jr., 75, of Mellette, SD, will be 4:00pm, Saturday, July 5, 2025, at the Mellette Community Center, with Bret Bierman officiating. A private family burial will be held at Bath Cemetery with Military honors by the Brentford American Legion Post #342. Vinton died Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at home in Mellette, SD.
Vinton “Butch” Gabel Jr. was born October 1, 1949, to Vinton Sr. and Marlus (Hatcher) Gabel in Aberdeen, SD. He lived in Bath, SD and moved his freshman year to Shakopee, MN where he graduated from Shakopee High School and enlisted in the Air Force in 1968.
He was stationed in Minot, ND until deployed to Thailand where he was Crew Chief on the KC-135 that flew missions over Vietnam. He was discharged in 1971 and returned to Shakopee.
He met Wanda Hagen and married On July 1, 1972, in Minneapolis, MN. They had three daughters: Peggy, Jennifer, and Carrie. In October of 1973 they moved to Brentford and lived there until December of 1988 when they moved to Mellette.
Butch worked for SD Wheat Growers for 19 years and later worked for North Central in Northville for 11 years. He also loved to drive bus for Northwestern School. He enjoyed basketball, baseball, hunting and fishing, and riding his motorcycle. He was a longtime member of the Brentford American Legion. Butch was very fond of his family but had a special place in his heart for spending time with his grandkids.
Butch was loved and will be missed by his wife, Wanda Gabel; daughters, Peggy (Brent) Jansen, Jennifer (Kirby) Fleck, and Carrie (Brent) Hartman; grandchildren, Eric and Shawn (Ashley) Jansen, MaKenzie and Gabe Fleck, and Hunter and Natalia Schipke; step grandchildren, Bella and Hope Hartman, one great grandchild on the way; and siblings, Kay Hohenecker, Sharon Guthmiller, JoAnn (Les) Strand, and Mike (Christie) Gabel; and brother-in-law Gary Anderson.
Preceding Butch in death are his parents, Vinton Sr. and Marlus Gabel; sister, Barb Anderson; and brothers-in-law, Guido Hohenecker and Harold Guthmiller.