Campus mourns the death of junior Gabrielle Gunden

The Goshen College campus is mourning the loss of Gabrielle (born Gabriel James) Gunden, a junior social work major from Sellersville, Pennsylvania. She died unexpectedly on November 10 in Goshen at age 21, leaving family and friends deeply saddened.

In the last few years of her life, Gunden began using the name Gabrielle and the pronouns she/her. She had been receiving treatment for depression and had unconditional support from her family. During her short time on earth, Gabrielle was a good friend to many and brought joy to the lives of those around her.

Born on January 22, 2004, in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, Gabrielle grew up with two parents and two older siblings who loved her. She enjoyed many happy times with her extended family in Indiana and Pennsylvania. Annual family vacations in Maine were especially enjoyed. Gabrielle had many friends, both in Pennsylvania and around the country.

Gabrielle wanted to pursue a career in which she could make a positive impact on people’s lives. Before Goshen, she studied history at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she enjoyed living in the city. In 2022, Gabrielle graduated magna cum laude from Dock Mennonite Academy, where she earned the Student Achievement Award in Technology and made many lifelong friendships.

Beyond her studies, Gabrielle was known for her kind and welcoming personality. She enjoyed giving advice and information to new transfer students at Goshen College. She had a contagious laugh and sense of humor, and she was thoughtful and generous to others.

Gabrielle had many passions and hobbies, including listening to music on vinyl records, shooting hoops with friends, and an interest in transportation and ancient history. She enjoyed cooking and eating delicious food, frequently paired with her favorite soft drink, Moxie. Gabrielle’s roommates often found her preparing late-night batches of Fettuccini Alfredo or Carbonara and cooking elaborate tomato sauces that simmered all day. She loved gaming on the computer she designed and built, engaging with people from all over the world online. Gabrielle adored the family cat, Hollis, and helped take good care of him. In her elementary and middle school years, Gabrielle was a top-tier swimmer in the region for her age group with the Upper Bucks YMCA Barracudas swim team.

Gabrielle was developing her knowledge of film photography techniques and camera equipment. Examples of her photography can be viewed online at photos.gunden.dev.

Gabrielle worked and volunteered in humble ways that served others. She cleaned the Souderton Ten Thousand Villages store and worked on the summer cleaning crew at Dock Mennonite Academy. She also volunteered at both places and assisted the technology team at Dock. She participated in service projects at Bethany Birches Camp in Vermont and Academia Menonita Betania in Puerto Rico.

Gabrielle was a baptized member of Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed fellowship and service activities with friends at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church in Hilltown Township, Pennsylvania.

Gabrielle is survived by parents James and Suzanne Gunden of Sellersville, Pennsylvania; siblings Erica Gunden of Vancouver, Washington, and Michael Gunden of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; maternal grandmother Esther (Martin) Clymer, uncles Eric Clymer, James Marshbank, all of Telford, Pennsylvania, and Geof Landis of Goshen; aunts Elizabeth Gunden of Goshen and Mary Jean Gunden of Moraga, California; and cousins Andrew, Ashley (Joyce) and Finn Landis of Goshen.

Gabrielle was preceded in death by her grandparents, Ralph and Opal (Barkey) Gunden of Goshen and Kenneth Clymer of Telford, Pennsylvania.

A service to honor and celebrate Gabrielle’s life will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at Zion Mennonite Church, Souderton, Pennsylvania. Visitation will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. with a service at 11:45 a.m. The service will be livestreamed and can be viewed at zionmennonite.org/worship/live-stream. All are welcome to attend and share in remembering Gabrielle’s time on Earth, and to stay for a luncheon at the church at 12:45 p.m. following the service.

If you have memories to share with the family or would like them read during the service, you can email them to [email protected] or print them and leave them in a basket at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Jed Foundation (jedfoundation.org) or the Brethren Mennonite Council (www.bmclgbt.org).