Textiles Tastemaker Gabler Dies

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 10/2/2006 12:00:00 AM

Dallas — —

Dallas — Raymond F. Gabler, 78, a courtly Texas tastemaker and marketer, the husband of Mary Ella Gabler, founder of Peacock Alley, died Sept. 22 at West Community Hospice here with his wife at his side.

A tall distinguished looking Texan with a gift for political repartee and a flair for home fashions, Gabler had been vice president of marketing for Peacock Alley, the carriage-trade resource founded by his wife of 26 years.

Before joining his wife at Peacock Alley, Gabler for two decades ran his own highly influential sales organization, Raymond F. Gabler Associates, representing high-end home fashions resources in Southwestern and Midwestern states. After forming the company in 1976, he made the company a highly visible tastemaker catering to Texas and southwestern specialty retailers. After winding down the company in 1995, he joined his wife at Peacock Alley.

A memorial service was held Sept. 26 at the Gabler Farm in Acton, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to James L. West Community Hospice, which cared for Gabler in his final days, or Community Partners of Dallas, which supports neglected and abused children by providing direct resources to caseworkers.