In Memoriam Gabriela Andrei (1946–2025)

Gabriela Andrei passionate malacologist and museologist dedicated her lifetime to the Museum and its collections, half a century, passed away on a Christmas Day, December 26, 2025. Mariana Gabriela Ecaterina Andrei (Hanganu) was born on December 18th, 1946. After graduating from "Iulia Hașdeu" High School, in 1965 she attended the Faculty of Biology (University of Bucharest), specializing in Biology – Zoology, until 1971. After graduation she worked for several years teaching biology, agriculture and chemistry in Tulcea County and in Bucharest. In 1976 she joins the museum collective and up until her retirement, in 2009 she will dedicate all her efforts to the development of the mollusk scientific collection, the "Arnold Lucien Montandon" Heteroptera collection, educating the public through conferences and organising exhibitions. After her return in 2013 and until her sudden passing in 2025 she worked tirelessly at identifying Bivalvia, Cephalopoda, Gasteropoda, Polyplacophora and Scaphopoda, 18,846 specimens of 1,150 species and subspecies, belonging to 202 families, specimens from Romania and different parts of the world, both terrestrial and aquatic species (freshwater and marine). Gabriela stood out through her modesty, sincerity and fairness, with a special thirst for knowledge and respect for the personalities who left their mark on the history of the Museum and biological research. Condolences to the family!