Gabriela Duclaud was born in Mexico on June 16, 1931. In 1950, she met the first members of Opus Dei who had recently arrived to start the apostolic work in Mexico, and she joined shortly thereafter. When she completed her university studies, she traveled to Rome, where she worked close to St. Josemaría Escrivá. A couple of years later he asked her to join the few who had come to start Opus Dei in the United States. She arrived in Chicago in 1955, and has since worked faithfully in spreading the growth of the Opus Dei in Washington, New York, Boston, back to Chicago and most recently San Francisco. Her Funeral Mass was officiated by the Rev. Msgr. Thomas Bohlin, Vicar of Opus Dei in the United States, at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, in San Francisco on April 23, 2006.

Gabriela will be always remembered for her fortitude and persistence in establishing the apostolic works throughout the country, with total faith in the providence of God. At the same time, her warm and welcoming attitude drew others to her, because she was always ready to listen and offer the right word of advice. Her fidelity to the teachings of St. Josemaría, especially in her attention to the importance of freedom, to the care of little things, and maintaining serenity and trust no matter what the circumstances were, will remain an enduring example for those who learned from her how to follow in the footsteps of St. Josemaría.