Obituary of Carl E. Gamble

Though mild-mannered and quiet, Carl E. Gamble Jr. loomed large to those who knew and loved him. "He was a great husband and father," said his wife, Joy Gamble. "He loved his family, worked hard and took care of us." Mr. Gamble, 70, of Independence, died Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. For 15 years Mr. Gamble owned and operated Tasty Bird Farms Grocery store in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Walnut Hills, where locals could come to get barbeque lunches and fresh poultry and eggs. Mr. Gamble had worked at the grocery for a number of years before he bought it, his wife said. He later sold the store and moved to Independence. He was a member of the Norwood/Winton Masonic Lodge and the Cincinnati and Crittenden gun clubs. Mr. Gamble and his wife met while attending grade school in Norwood, Ohio, and later began dating in high school. After their children were born, the family began taking camping trips to places along the Ohio River and Land Between the Lakes and Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. "That's what he liked to do was go camping and be in the outdoors," Mrs. Gamble said. "That was where he did most of his fishing, which I think was a big reason he liked to go camping. I came along, which made it nice because we could spend time together." Later in life Mr. Gamble became a fan of skeet shooting and sporting clays. His wife followed him into the sport. Despite his talent with a gun, Mr. Gamble never had a desire to translate his skills into hunting animals, his wife said. "He learned it as a hobby from my daddy years ago," Mrs. Gamble said. "He didn't want to kill anything. He just really liked the guns." Other survivors include a son, Dale V. Gamble of Stockton, Calif.; a daughter, Dianne L. Gamble of Independence; a sister, Joyce Harris of the state of California; and two grandsons. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati. Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society, 297 Buttermilk Pike, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017. Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence, is handling arrangements.