Mary Frances "Fanny" Gamble
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise - February 9, 1984
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 8 - February 9, 1984
EAGLE PIONEER "FANNY" GAMBLE DIES AT 79.
Mary Frances "Fanny" GAMBLE,one of the Eagle community's pioneer residents, died early Saturday morning at the Vail Valley Medical Center, at the age of 79. Funeral services for Miss Gamble were held at 2 p.m Wednesday, Feb. 8, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Eagle, with Father Patrick Kennedy officiating. Interment was at Sunset View Cemetery in Eagle.
Miss GAMBLE was born March 7, 1904,in Aspen. Her father, Tom GAMBLE, was a professional jockey. He was seriously injured in a horse racing accident and died about two years later, when Miss GAMBLE was still a small child.
Mary Hannah GAMBLE took her two sons, Tommy and Leo, and daughter, Mary Frances, to Leadville following Mr. GAMBLE's death. A short time later the family moved to Eagle and settled along the Eagle River about one-half mile east of town. "Fanny" GAMBLE was believed to be about 4 years of age at the time.
Mary Hannah GAMBLE was married in 1908 to William JOHNSTON, who died 11 years later.
Miss GAMBLE attended grade school in the building now occupied by St. Mary's Catholic Church, and graduated from Eagle High School in 1923.The former high school structure is presently known as the McDonald Building, and is occupied by various Eagle County agencies.
Her five Eagle High School graduating classmates were Helen SULLIVAN, Clarence RULE, Winona REYNOLDS, Bessie BEAN [sic BEAM] and Ocie HART.
Miss GAMBLE then attended Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley. After earning her teaching certificate, Miss GAMBLE returned to Eagle County and taught school for one year at Dotsero.
She then accepted a teaching position at the Piney School north of Wolcott. Friends recall that she would frequently ride a horse the 23 miles from the school to Eagle to visit her family on weekends.
Miss GAMBLE and her mother continued to reside in the riverside home until about 1934, when they purchased a home at 421 Capitol in Eagle. Miss GAMBLE remained there until her death.
The family had also spent considerable time at a ranch on Castle Range north of Eagle, which had been homesteaded by Miss GAMBLE's grandparents. The family sold the homestead before moving into Eagle.
It was on the ranch where Mary Hannah JOHNSTON started an extensive rock and arrowhead collection. Miss GAMBLE continued to add to the collection throughout her life, and collected antique glass bottles as well.
Her arrowhead collection is regarded as the most extensive in Eagle County.
Miss GAMBLE left the teaching profession in the early 1930s, and accepted an office position at the former Eagle Electric Company. She later became a bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Eagle,now known as the First Bank of Eagle County.
Miss GAMBLE then accepted a bookkeeping position at the former Koonce Chevrolet, owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur KOONCE in the building now occupied by Colorado Mountain College.
She returned to the First National Bank of Eagle as head bookkeeper and remained there until suffering a massive cerebral hemorrhage in about 1964. She made a complete mental recovery, but continued to suffer partial disuse of her left arm.
Miss GAMBLE's health began to fail in recent years, and she had been mostly bedridden for the past two years. She had recently been a Denver nursing home patient, and was admitted to the Vail hospital on Tuesday of last week.
Although Miss GAMBLE never married, she reared a niece from infancy until her death from rheumatic fever as a teenager. Miss GAMBLE and her mother, who passed away in November of 1962, also helped rear another niece and nephew.
Miss GAMBLE was particularly fond of young people, and also enjoyed dancing and backcountry drives. Along with her arrowhead and rock collecting interest, Miss GAMBLE became interested in Geiger counter prospecting. She staked several uranium claims in what is now the Vail Mountain ski area.
Her ancestral heritage included a connection with Washington, D.C., and the White House. Miss GAMBLE's grandmother's uncle was John Quincy ADAMS, the sixth President of the United States, whose father, John ADAMS, was the second U.S. President.
Among Miss GAMBLE's survivors are a brother, Bill JOHNSTON of Denver; two nieces, Delores GAMBLE and Rebecca Lee KUMMER, both of Denver; three nephews, Jack GAMBLE and Ted GAMBLE, both of Anchorage, Alaska, and Gale GAMBLE of Durango; a step-nephew, Ray BORINO of Denver; and two sisters-in-law, Mrs. Doris GAMBLE of Pueblo and Mrs. Frances JOHNSTON of Denver.
