Natalie Gabbey, 26, a graduate of Wellesley School, a Fulbright Scholar

It is with deep sadness that we announce the tragic death of 26-year-old Natalie Gabbai. She was taken from the world far too soon in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the evening of October 23 senseless car accident due to the fault of a drunk driver. She was waiting at a traffic light on her way home from a party with friends.

Born on March 18, 1998, Natalie brought boundless energy to life, always carrying a sense of purpose, compassion and adventure. She was a shining light to her family, friends and community, and left a legacy over the years of her life.

Natalie was born in Denver, Colorado and spent her early years in Atlanta, Georgia, where her sister Olivia was born. The family moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts in 2004 where Natalie attended public schools starting at Upham Elementary and graduating from Wellesley High in 2016, including a semester at Maine Coast Semester School in Chewonki. After high school, Natalie attended Colorado College where she earned a degree in Mathematical Economics and received a Fulbright Scholarship to study labor economics in Argentina.

Since childhood, Natalie knew who she was and always paved her own way. Her academic ability, compassion, determination and fairness made a deep impression on her friends, family and teachers.

During her high school years, Natalie’s favorite pastime was tending her community garden plot on Weston Road. She found meaning and importance in tending her plot, tenderly watering her plants, and growing and sharing her vegetable harvest. In all the places she later lived, she always found a way to grow her own vegetables, no matter how small the space. She also discovered a passion for sports, hiking and cycling. She co-founded the Colorado College Spikeball Club and enjoyed camping with friends. By the time she graduated from college, she had climbed several 14s, hiked and explored throughout the Northeast and Colorado, biked from Wyoming to California, and traveled across Canada. She was adventurous, and she inspired that spirit in her friends and family. While serious about her goals, Natalie was also funny and sometimes even goofy in pursuing her passions.

During the COVID years, Natalie worked in Washington, DC in education policy, and in 2022 she moved to Minneapolis to take up a research position at the Institute for Opportunity and Inclusive Growth at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. It perfectly matched her sense of justice and her strong desire to make an impact and change things for the better. Recently, she had the opportunity to co-author a groundbreaking paper on economics. She joined colleagues from across the bank to improve understanding of home region revenues.

In Minneapolis, thanks to her activities, Natalie found a strong community and many friends. She rediscovered her childhood love of gymnastics and found great joy in regaining her skills. She values ​​community and diversity and has an uncanny ability to connect closely with people from all walks of life and all ages. Her friends know her as the “glue” that held everyone together in Wellesley, Colorado, DC, or Minneapolis. In addition to her work at the Federal Reserve, she volunteered at a local homeless shelter and taught English classes. In everything she did, she found meaning in how she could interact with and contribute to the local community.

Natalie has just applied for a prestigious National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship to investigate the impact of policies empowering tenant collective action in Washington, DC, on profound urban transformation. She was on the verge of applying for a doctorate. She was about to truly soar when her life was taken from her and the world.

Natalie was part of a large family that loved her unconditionally. Her parents, Rachel and Keith, and her beloved sister, Olivia, who adored her and looked up to her in countless ways. On her mother’s side, she had a beloved Australian extended family where she spent many Christmases with her grandparents, Phil and Eleanor Hancock; her uncle Mark, aunt Liz and cousins ​​Alice (and husband Tom and children Eddie, Lucy and Heidi), George (and wife Minna), Arthur (and fiancee Lara) and Louise (and husband Carthy). Her uncle Peter and aunt Betty and family were also present. On her father’s side, she will be forever loved by her Uncle Dave, Aunt Penny, Grandma Kate and cousins ​​Daniella, Sophia and Ben, whom she always looked forward to visiting.

A celebration of Natalie’s life will be held at 4:00 PM on Saturday, November 2nd at the Wellesley Village Church in Wellesley, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mothers Against Drunk Driving in her honor. MADD.com.

Natalie was incredibly loved. She will be terribly, terribly missed, but her beautiful and sparkling smile and spirit will be with us forever.

It local obituary published via Legacy.com and George F. Dougherty & Sons Funeral Homes. Want to have a loved one’s obituary featured on Boston.com? Submit your obituary hereor by e-mail to (email protected).