Gabriel "Gabe" Sanchez, 57, a longtime Poway resident, passed away on July 2, 2009. Gabe was known for his infectious laugh and caring heart which drew many people into his life. He rightly placed importance on faith, family and friends. He was born on May 19, 1952, in San Pedro, CA, and later earned a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. Gabe married his wife, Barbara, on February 11, 1978. He founded Advanced Electromagnetics Inc. of Santee in 1979. He introduced revolutionary technologies in testing chamber design and was awarded more than 20 US Patents for his state of the art designs. Gabe was a member of I.E.E.E., The Knights of Columbus, AMTA, St. Gabriel's Catholic Parish and numerous car clubs. He enjoyed classic cars and auto racing and was well known as being a "Hardcore Softball Dad". More than anything, he was a loving husband and father. He is survived by his wife, Barbara of Poway; son, Jonathan Sanchez of Poway; daughter, Amanda Sanchez of Poway; and his beloved Toy Poodle, "Bubba". Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 9, 2009, at St. Gabriel's Catholic Church in Poway. The Committal will follow at Dearborn Memorial Park in Poway. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Gabe's name to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, www.stjude.org. Arrangements are by Poway-Bernardo Mortuary.