Betty R Gamble

Betty Gamble, beloved wife, mother, aunt, mentor, and friend, passed away on Thursday, December 24, 2020 in Plano, Texas. She inspired many through her kind gestures, her witty remarks, and her beautiful, golden heart.

Betty Gamble was born to her parents, William and Julia Roser, on Tuesday, July 3, 1928 in Libertyville, Illinois. She grew up with her brothers, Bill Roser and Tom Roser, as well as her adoptive brother, Jake. As a little girl, Betty enjoyed a great many things like playing with her friends and celebrating the Fourth of July. As she would recount later, she always thought the firework displays, the cookouts, and the merriment surrounding the Fourth of July was in celebration of her birthday. Another joy in life during Betty’s childhood was spending time with her father. William worked in Chicago, and consequently would commute by train. When William got off the train to head home, he was always met his little Betty. While walking home, he would ask her about what she learned in school that day, and she would recount all of her adventures. It was a special time during the day that they shared just with each other. As she grew up, she attended and graduated from Gregg Secretarial School during the late 1940’s. She used her valuable knowledge of typing and shorthand to work first at Good Housekeeping Magazine, and later at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). At DEC, Betty worked as an Executive Assistant, and she took great pride in her work. She maintained many responsibilities and went above and beyond to excel at her work. Often she would get up early in the mornings before going in to work to check her boss’s emails and brief him on what his schedule would be for the day. She would then proceed to go to work where she made different jobs and projects flow smoothly. Betty worked at DEC through the 1970’s and 1980’s. Towards the end of the 1980’s, Betty retired from DEC and moved with her husband from their home in Massachusetts to Plano, Texas to be with her children. Although Betty took great pride in her education and her work, her true pride and joy was her family.

To Betty, nothing could compare to the joy she felt than when she was with her family. Betty married her loving husband, George, and together they had two children Christiane and Mark. Betty also became a bonus mom to George’s sons, Fred, Tim, Steve, and David, and George’s daughter, Terry. Among all of Betty’s commitments in life, she was a wife and mother first and foremost. When she was not caring for her family, Betty took pleasure in many other aspects of life. She loved to collect little porcelain lighthouses as well as tall ship models. She enjoyed her life on the coast and took pleasure in watching tall ships sail into the Boston Harbor. Betty also liked to host parties and get-togethers with family, friends, and George’s boss. She enjoyed the planning and preparing that went into these events from the appetizers to the main meal and even the desserts. However, she put the same attention to detail with meals with her family whether it was family dinners or weekend breakfasts on the porch. Together with George, she would also host Bridge games where they would all play and laugh into the night. Betty not only liked to make her house look nice for parties (and on a daily basis), but she also liked to make herself look nice. She took pleasure in her daily beauty routine as she curled her hair, applied her makeup, and dressed her best. Even as time consuming and uncomfortable as it might have been, she kept her head up and her smile on. As she playfully quipped at her niece, “Sometimes you have to suffer to be beautiful!” Betty’s beautiful touch not only impacted her looks and her house, but also the ground around her. She had a green thumb and excelled at growing many varieties of roses, flowers, and vegetables. Betty planted a vegetable garden every year and tended it carefully as it produced beautiful tomatoes and other delicious foods. Just as she loved her vegetable garden, Betty loved tending to her roses and flowers. She would pick some of her blooms and decorate her table with the sweet-smelling flowers. These beautiful flowers brought Betty much joy. Along with the smells of her sweet roses and flowers, Betty’s home was also filled with the delicious smells of baking and cooking. She was a wonderful cook who knew how to fill the soul as well as the stomach. You would always leave her home satisfied, especially after enjoying some of her homemade cookies. Some of her most famous cookies include her Mexican Wedding Cookies and her White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies which she made around Christmastime. Betty would make cookies many times for others to enjoy, but she also made them for neighbors or friends that helped her around her house or garden. Although her thanks would have been enough, nobody can say “no” to her delicious cookies. Without a doubt, Betty was as sweet as her cookies, as beautiful as her flowers, and had faith in the Lord as strong as the ships she watched in the harbor. Betty Gamble and her life, love, and legacy will remain with her friends and family forevermore.

Betty Gamble is survived by her children, Christiane Gamble and Mark Gamble; her stepchildren, Fred Gamble, Tim Gamble, Steve Gamble, and David Gamble; her grandchildren; her nieces and nephews; as well as many friends. Betty Gamble is preceded in death by her husband, George Gamble; her mother, Julia Barbara Roser (née Schmidt); her father, William Thomas Roser; her stepdaughter, Terry Modrow; and her brothers, Bill, Tom and Jake.

Betty’s life will be celebrated on Thursday, December 31, 2020 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Hughes Family Tribute Center. A funeral service for Betty Gamble will be held immediately after at 11:00 AM at Hughes Family Tribute Center. Betty Gamble will be laid to rest with her husband, George Gamble, at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at 9:00 AM.

The family and friends of Betty Gamble will always have her in their hearts, especially when seeing a beautiful rose, smelling freshly baked cookies, or experiencing an act of unwavering kindness and love.