Gabriella Kehler

Dr. Elisabeth Gabriella Kehler, 64, passed away on July 2nd, 2024, at her home in Belton, TX, surrounded by her family and friends.

Gabriella was born December 8, 1959, in Linkoping, Sweden. She was the daughter of Fritz and Anna-Britta (Vikrot) Kehler, who were both medical doctors. Gabriella was born in Linkoping, but mostly grew up in Norrkoping, where her parents had a private medical practice. In 1978, Gabriella graduated from High School in Norrkoping, Sweden. 

She went to the US for the first time in 1978 on a one-year grant from the Swedish-American Foundation, to study pre-med courses at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia. She returned to Europe and studied medicine at the University of Hamburg Medical School in Germany, 1979-1985. She did an internship in Oskarshamn, Sweden, 1986-1988. She returned to the US in 1988 following her older sister Kristina Kehler-Lozon for her postgraduate training in Internal Medicine at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1988-1991, and a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases, 1991-1993, at St. Louis University School of Medicine. In St Louis she worked with Swedish-born professor Ulf Westblom, who became her boss and mentor. She came to Belton in 2005 to work as a physician at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple, where she stayed until her retirement in 2020. Before that she worked in Danderyd, Sweden, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Methuen, Massachusetts, and in Saginaw, Michigan.

Gabriella enjoyed downhill skiing, dancing and travelling. She was a great animal lover and helped out with dog adoptions and at shelters. She also contributed to animal charities. She had two rescue dogs, Truffles and Bernice, and several rescue cats.

Gabriella is survived by her sisters Simone (Claes) Kehler Rosenlind of Skovde, Sweden, and Patricia (Pehr) Hedenqvist of Stockholm, Sweden; their children, Fredrik (Josefine), Cecilia (Jacob), Alexandra (Patrick), and Clarissa (Marius), all of Sweden; her deceased sister Kristina’s daughters, Ella (Evan), Emma (Bill) and Ericka (Andy), all of the US, and their father Rick (Holly) Lozon of Kalamazoo, MI; the children of her nieces, Amelie, Maite, Elliot and Tessa. She is preceded in death by her parents, Fritz and Anna-Britta Kehler, and sister, Kristina Kehler-Lozon.

A memorial service for Gabriella will be held at 10 am Monday, July 8, 2024, at Harper-Talasek Funeral Home in Belton. She will be buried alongside her parents in Ekeskog, Sweden.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to animal shelters or charities.

The family would like to specially thank Gabriella’s amazing neighbors, friends and former colleagues for their extraordinary care and love shown to Gabriella and her family during her period of illness, and to registered nurse Christi Smykal and nurse aid Jessica from the home hospice team.