Ruth Virginia Gamber, 91, a longtime resident of Ocean Village on Amelia Island, died Monday, March 20, 2017, in Benton House, an assisted-living facility in Woodstock, Ga., where she had been living for the past two years. She had been in declining health for some time.
Mrs. Gamber was preceded in death in 2011 by her husband of 63 years, Edward Frederick Gamber.
She is survived by her son, Glenn of Alexandria, Va.; her daughter, Christine of Marietta, Ga.; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Gamber grew up in the metropolitan New York City area, first in northern New Jersey and later in Woodhaven, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. After graduating from high school, Mrs. Gamber attended Adelphi College (now a university), where she majored in math and graduated magna cum laude. At Adelphi, Mrs. Gamber served in officer positions of the Student Association, including as president her senior year; as president of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta; and participated in a number of other activities, including the Glee Club and Math Club.
She and her husband married following her Adelphi graduation. His work as an FBI agent took the couple first to Des Moines, Iowa, and then to Winston-Salem, N.C. The couple eventually returned to Long Island, N.Y., where they raised their two children. On Long Island, Mrs. Gamber was active in the local garden club, winning several prizes at local and larger shows for her flower arrangements. She also sang in the church choir and worked for a time as a secretary to a psychiatrist and as a substitute teacher.
Following Mr. Gamber’s retirement from the FBI, the couple moved to Marietta, where Mr. Gamber served as vice president of Wells Fargo Armored Car Service. In Marietta, Mrs. Gamber played tennis in Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association leagues and was active in Song of Atlanta, a member chorus of Sweet Adelines International.
Following Mr. Gamber’s retirement from Wells Fargo, the couple moved to Amelia Island. Mrs. Gamber lived on the island for about 20 years, including four years following her husband’s death. The couple worshiped at Amelia Plantation Chapel.
Mrs. Gamber’s ashes will be interred next to her husband’s in the Amelia Plantation Chapel columbarium later this spring or in early summer.
Memorial contributions may be made to Amelia Plantation Chapel or Hope House in Fernandina Beach.