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Gabrielle deHart Schwarz Haab "Gaby", 72, of Villanova, PA and St. Michaels, MD died at home in Villanova on Friday morning, April 6, 2012. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Frederick C. Haab, her son F. Christian Haab Jr. (his wife Ellin Paquette Haab), her daughter Meredith deH. Haab (her husband Stephen P. Madjar), and her son, Kurt A. Haab (his wife Jean Plzak Haab). Grandmother to Lara and Eric Haab, Skylar and Lex Nikpour, and Connor, Tyler, and William Haab. She is the daughter of the late Dr. Gabriel A. Schwarz and is survived by her mother, Muriel deHart Schwarz of Drexel Hill, PA. and Nokomis, FL. She is survived by identical twin brothers C. Michael Schwarz and Stephen deH. Schwarz (and his wife Jean), and brother Paul A. Schwarz (and his wife Barbara). She is survived by sister-in-law Joanna Haab Schoff (and her husband James). Loving Aunt to Tucker and Bryan Schwarz, Steve, Marc, and Jason Schwarz, Travis Schwarz and Nicole Mathison (nee Schwarz), Sue Bonn (nee Schoff), Elizabeth Garrett (nee Schoff), and James Schoff. Born on July 23, 1939 in Hartford, CT, Gaby was raised in Drexel Hill, PA and attended The Lansdowne Friends School, The Friends Central School, and Centenary College. An accomplished artist, Gaby designed and executed fiber art pieces commissioned by businesses in the Philadelphia area and was a certified member of The Embroiderer’s Guild of America. She was president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Guild and patented and published a stitch, The Habar Stitch, as well as ran a needlepoint studio, The Glimpsewood Studio, in Villanova, PA. For many years she conducted lectures and courses in the art of embroidery work and the creation of embroidery designs. Gaby provided needlework instruction for the stitchers working on the communion cushions for the Episcopal Academy Chapel. Gaby designed and coordinated the embroidery work of the amazing kneeling cushions at The Good Samaritan Church in Paoli, PA. The 22 kneelers were made to fit the u shaped 100 foot long alter rail and sequentially depicts the first chapter of Genesis with the design of one leading into the design of the next. It’s estimated that half a million stitches went into each kneeler and took many stitchers more than five years to complete. The design boards by Gaby were sent to Appleton Bros. Ltd in England to have the yarn dyed to match the exact shades she specified. Yarn was dyed to some twenty to thirty different shades. The stitchers met monthly to work with Gaby to blend and coordinate their work with each other’s cushions. Gaby was a member of The Garden Workers, Garden Club. She learned the Japanese art of Ikebana, flower arrangement, and went on to be an award winning competitor at The Philadelphia International Flower Show specializing in niches. She has been a long time member of the Competitive Class Committee of the Philadelphia International Flower Show and her creative floral designs have been featured in The Fine Art of Flower Arranging and Art in Bloom. Gaby went on to become a Garden Club of America Floral Design Judge and she has exhibited, judged, and won awards at major flower shows locally and around the country. Gaby was head of the landscape design committee at Wrenfield in Villanova for many years, as well. She was a member of The Acorn Club in Philadelphia. Along with some antique carriages, Gaby inherited a retired pair of Olympic award winning carriage driving horses from her late Uncle, Harry A. DeHart of Woodbury, New Jersey. She learned to drive two in hand and could be seen driving around St. Michaels, MD and local carriage drives. Along with her husband, she raised chickens, goats, horses, Scottish Highland Bulls, and assorted cats and dogs on their farm in St. Michaels, MD. Gaby and her husband have travelled extensively around the world. Gaby used her artistic talents in her home making it unique: she hung a mirror over the dining room table, on the ceiling, to reflect candle light, she pulled out bricks in her front walkway and planted flowers for visitors to skirt walking to the front door, she used an eight foot tree trunk complete with roots as a staircase newel post, and used vibrant colors and patterns mixed with artifacts from travels with her husband and friends to make a family home. Beyond her unique artistic talents, Gaby was a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and Aunt. She valued family above all else. Gaby and her husband, Ched Haab, met as preteens on a bus heading to school and have known each other for 63 years, married for 53. Gaby had a generous spirit, a warm heart, and a huge and sparkling smile. She was outgoing, laughed a lot, and will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Interment is private for the family. A memorial service in celebration of Gabrielle’s life will be held at The Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church on Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr PA on Tuesday, April 17 at 11 AM. A memorial service will be held in St. Michaels MD at a later date, to be announced. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Gabrielle Haab’s name to The Lansdowne Friends School, 110 Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, PA, 19050 or to the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation PO Box 374 Birmingham, MI 48012.

Tributes

Gabrielle "Gaby" deHart Schwarz Haab

July 23, 1939 - April 6, 2012