Donna Marie Gamble

Donna Marie Gamble (nee Gibbs) was born in the Bronx, New York on May 5, 1961 and passed away unexpectedly on November 20, 2024, leaving a distinct void. She was the third of four children and the only daughter of parents who had made the life-changing decision to leave the US Virgin Islands and raise a family in New York City. Donna attended local public schools and was a 1978 graduate of the nationally renowned Bronx High School of Science. She selected the University of Rochester in upstate New York for college, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, grew numerous relationships that would become lifelong friendships, and began dating her future husband Bob (later “Bobby”, for when endearment was deserved) during their sophomore year. Upon graduation in 1982, Donna began work in marketing in New York City and Bob enrolled at the Howard University College of Dentistry in Washington, DC. Greyhound, Amtrak, and drives up and down I-95 with brother Paul or fellow New Yorker dental school classmates helped sustain their long-distance courtship.

1986 was a momentous year for Donna and Bob. They became engaged over Spring Break and agreed that Bob would join the Air Force for three years after graduation. They were married at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in St. Albans, Queens, New York on August 9th and in September they moved to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, NE for their first military assignment. In 1989, the June birth of their son Jeffrey and an available move to more familiar territory (Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, DC) led to a joint decision to take “one more assignment” instead of returning to New York -- they ultimately shared a thirty-year Air Force journey at eleven bases over eight states and Guam!

Their son Christopher was born in 1992, and in 1993 they took the longest trip of their lives (16 ½ hours flight time total) for a two-year assignment in Guam. They returned stateside in 1995, and after three years in San Antonio, TX they moved to Valdosta, GA, a place they had not heard of before but ended up being very impactful for their family. Donna converted to Catholicism at Valdosta’s St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in 2000 and began a path of consistently dedicated service to the Church, with the efforts of her time and talent built around her heart for children. She taught Pre-K at St. John the Evangelist Catholic School; she taught in Children’s Ministry at St. John’s, McGuire Air Force Base NJ Catholic Chapel, and St. Nicholas Catholic Parish in O’Fallon, IL; and she taught 4th Grade religion at St. Anne Catholic School in Sumter, SC. She worked as Parish Secretary at McGuire Air Force Base and most recently at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Bowie, MD, and volunteered for numerous parish functions and activities wherever the family resided. The knowledge that a move is coming every three years or so doesn’t sit well with “dragging your feet” getting comfortable in a new parish; Donna and Bob decided that what worked for them was to observe for no more than a few months and then jump in! Donna also regularly participated in support activities on base to provide “a bit of home” for the young first-time-on-their-own military members at various assignments. After they retired from the military and settling in the DMV, Donna would send baked goods for Bob to share with his Howard residents and graciously host end-of-year gatherings with residents and faculty in recognition of accomplishments, support, and preparation for “next steps”. “Tell Ms. Donna ‘Thank You’”, “Please thank Mrs. Gamble”, and “Tell Donna I had a really good time” were the norm.

Donna was also a VORACIOUS reader of fiction and non-fiction, participated in book clubs, and loved music, movies, and plays. It is difficult to gauge how many novels of all genres Donna devoured (at least 500 would be a very conservative guess), including a consistently generous flow of “guilty pleasure” historical fiction “regency” romance (except there were no recognizable signs of guilt!). She also read great female authors like Louisa May Alcott, Maya Angelou, Emily Brontë, Toni Morisson, and Alice Walker, and numerous books on exploration of self as well as perspectives on faith generally and Catholicism specifically. True to form, she had a Kindle reader at her side when she passed.

Sappy (Bob’s opinion) Hallmark movies, rom-coms, musicals (“West Side Story” and “The Sound of Music” were two all-time favorites she saw at least ten times each), and oldies such as “Wuthering Heights”, “Meet Me in St. Louis”, and “Little Women” were on her watch list. Having children was apparently a convenient excuse for Donna and Bob to enjoy “Alladin”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Hercules”, “Toy Story”, and “Mulan”. They also shared an affinity for sitcoms old and new/good and bad (they loved a good laugh), watched “Jeopardy” together as often as possible, and have likely seen every episode of every season of Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ “Finding Your Roots”. They enjoyed occasionally catching shows and events at the Kennedy Center on a “date night” for variety, and became steady Kennedy Center and National Museum of African-American History and Culture members.

There is no way Bob could have navigated a full military career without Donna beside him with love, support, stabilizing presence, and a willingness to “keep it real”! Jeff and Chris are products of the resilient teamwork, adaptability, encouragement, and engagement Donna and Bob shared in their parenting philosophy. Jeffrey attained a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, has been married to his wife Kayla for six years, and they live in St. Louis where she is a public defender and he is a founder and executive in a healthcare technology and services company. Christopher has spent the last decade living and working in DC after completing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling; he has provided counseling to children and families, worked in victim advocacy, published a book “Tales of a Black Therapist”, and is now a behavioral health policy analyst. Words cannot do justice to how proud Donna was of her guys and how much joy their respective journeys brought her; she cherished that they spoke on the phone regularly, Chris established a steady pattern of hanging out with his parents a couple of weekends per month, and Jeff (often with amazing wife Kayla) made a point of visiting a few times per year.

Donna always valued and cherished family ties. Bob’s parents, brothers, and army of cousins, Tías and Tíos lovingly welcomed her into the fold, and in more recent years some of her fondest memories were “mini-reunions” of Gamble siblings and offspring descending upon our Maryland home for a weekend of insanity! She also remained a stabilizing presence with her family in New York, assisting her Mother and Great Aunt both from distance and with many trips to the Bronx to be on-hand, and was a “rock” of support for brother Don and his sons after wife and mother Pat’s untimely death in 2016.

Donna is preceded in death by her father Donald Gibbs, Sr., her brother Ronald Gibbs, and her Sister-in-Law Patricia Gibbs, and is survived by her husband Dr. Robert Gamble, her sons Christopher and Jeffrey and daughter-in-law Kayla, her mother Asta Gibbs, brothers Dexter Gibbs and Donald Gibbs, Jr., Great Aunt (Inez) Lucille DeGraffe, and a slew of family and friends who loved her and miss her. Following her funeral at St. Pius X Catholic Church, her internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined.

Donna’s actions and generosity embodied a prayer known as The Prayer of St. Francia of Assisi, “For it is in giving that we receive”. In line with her passion for youth-focused causes, in lieu of flowers the family welcomes donations to UNICEF (https://www.unicefusa.org/?form=donate) on Donna’s behalf. She is at peace.