Susan Carver Gamble of Oak Bluffs died peacefully on Feb. 29, 2016, surrounded by loving family members. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and teacher, who found tremendous joy in giving of herself to her family and community. Susan grew up in South Hadley, where she met her husband of 40 years, George Gamble. The high school sweethearts worked on Martha’s Vineyard at the Harbor View Hotel for several summers during college, and graduated from UMass Amherst in 1975; they were married on their graduation day. Susan also attended Dickinson College and Mount Holyoke College, and graduated from Katharine Gibbs School in Boston, and from Lesley University in Cambridge with a master’s degree in education.
Susan and George spent several years living in New York City and Washington, D.C., after college. They returned to the Vineyard in 1979, where they soon purchased the Among the Flowers Café in Edgartown. They ran the restaurant for 22 summers, employing a host of Vineyard kids and family members, forming a large and vibrant “ATF” family. After selling the café in 2002, Susan began her 10-year career with the Edgartown School system, where she worked as a teacher and an aide in the Resource Room.
Susan was very active in the Vineyard community, and served on many organizations, including Island Children’s School, where she served as president; as a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Hockey Boosters’ Club; and deacon of the Federated Church; and was on the Oak Bluffs Historical Commission at the time of her death. Susan was full of joy, vitality, and kindness, and had a myriad of interests she actively pursued. She loved her Island book club and gardening, and she and George enjoyed skiing, swimming, biking, and traveling together. She especially loved spending time with her very large family, and took great pride in her four granddaughters, who brought “GeeGee” tremendous joy. Susan’s granddaughters were her greatest passion, and her remarkable legacy lives on through them.
Susan is survived by her husband George; son Derek Gamble, wife Kathleen and their three children, Ella, Hadley, and Charlotte, of Ramsey, N.J.; daughter Sara Graves, husband Jason, and their daughter Ava of Oak Bluffs; mother Ruby Carver of Williamstown; brother David Carver and wife Wende of Williamstown; brother Brad Carver and wife Helen Tramposch of Wayland; sister Jane Carver and husband Ron Cooper of St. Pete Beach, Fla.; brother Don Carver and wife Tamara of West Point, Va.
A celebration of Susan’s life will be held at the Federated Church at 45 South Summer Street in Edgartown at 1 pm on Saturday, March 5. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Red Stocking Fund of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 600, Edgartown, MA 02539; the Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena, mvarena.com; or the Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group, mvcancersupport.org.
Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. Visit ccgfuneralhome.com for online guest book and information.
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