David A. Gergel, 54, of Elmira, NY passed away Thursday, December 13, 2012 after an inspiring and courageous battle with cancer. Born November 18, 1958 to B. Marie Gergel and the late Richard Gergel, David graduated from Horseheads High School, and then joined the United States Marine Corps. After his honorable discharge, David pursued a life in the arts. He had a great love for music and became an accomplished painter with several abstracts displayed locally and authored "Signs at the Roadside" a book of poetry. David’s passion for the arts never wavered, and it gave him great comfort during his illness. David is survived by his wife Starr, son Eric and his wife, Kasey, mother, B. Marie Gergel, siblings Brian Gergel, Anne Katz, and Lynnette "Lu Lu" Gergel, and Eric’s mother, Robin Gergel. Other loving family includes Uncle Dennis Gergel and his wife Shirley, his niece and nephew, Jessica and Nathan Katz, numerous cousins, mother-in-law Doris VanWormer, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Harry and Susan Blackman, Stacey Keener, and, Robert and Holly Kingsley. A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 11am at the Jay E. Lowery Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., 225 South Main Street, Athens, PA with Pastor Bob Jones from the Glad Tidings Church officiating. Burial will be in Tioga Point Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, David’s wish was for donations to be made to Rainbow of Hope Animal Rescue, Inc., PO Box 411, Big Flats, NY 14814. David admired those that rescued dogs, as he left behind two of his own. (For those wishing to sign the E-guestbook or send condolences may do so by visiting www.loweryfuneralhome.com.)