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February 04, 2010
Goubran ('Gaby') Wadih Goubran, a 31-year resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away on Wednesday, January 27, at the age of 67.
Born on February 11, 1942, in Alexandria, Egypt, Gaby graduated from the University of Alexandria with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering. After working for the government for several years, he immigrated to the United States in 1969 and earned an MBA from Babson College in Boston in 1972. With an adventurous spirit, he traveled across America four times with friends, discovering his new country.
Having grown up by the seaside in Egypt, closeness to the ocean was a priority for Gaby when he and his wife, Nancy Sarkisian, moved to Pacific Palisades to begin their married life in 1978. The beautiful views of Santa Monica Bay made the decision easy, and soon Gaby was enjoying the beach and running along the coastal bike path.
A bon vivant with a great joie de vivre, Gaby lived his life fully in his native Egypt, then in the United States, and for some years in France. He worked hard, played hard and enjoyed life to the fullest. He was a devoted and loving husband and father, but also a great friend and an inspiration to anyone who came in contact with him.
Outside of his work as a business consultant and a board member of Cryo-Cell Inc., Gaby was an active member of the St. Peter & St. Paul Coptic Orthodox church in Santa Monica, which he helped establish; a former president of the Palisades Rotary Club; a four-time marathon runner (Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Paris), and above all, the source of an infectious love of life.
Gaby was officially diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in the winter of 2008. He fought the disease with courage and determination, going down every avenue that offered any glimmer of hope. When hope faded, he accepted his fate with his faith as his guide. He lived the last few months of his life the way he wanted, on his terms, with an abundance of his favorite foods (including champagne and foie gras!), and family and friends by his side. He cherished the daily calls and weekly visits, trying hard to fit everyone in, responding to every voicemail and e-mail he received.
He is survived by his wife Nancy, a former fashion designer and now an accomplished oil painter, and their daughter, Alexis, a Georgetown University gradudate (2002) who has master's degrees from the London School of Economics and USC's Annenberg School for Communication, and is now working at Northrop Grumman Corporation as manager of employee communications.
A memorial service was held at the St. Peter & St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church on January 29, followed by the funeral on January 30. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the church, 1245 Fourth St., Santa Monica, 90401.
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