May 16, 1962 – August 13, 2026
Caring for others was an important part of who Lisa was. That sense of compassion was carried throughout her life from working in the intensive care unit as a nurse to her life at home as a mother. Raising her three children was the greatest joy of her life. From the first days of school, to team practices, and family dinners, Lisa was always there for her children.
She became interested in and taught herself photography, and what began as a hobby turned into something she was truly passionate about. She spent countless hours creating videos for her children’s sports teams and other important family occasions. Her home is filled with portraits of those she loved most, all of which she personally composed and captured. Surrounding her home, flowers and greenery flourished, another extension of her creativity, which drew raves from neighbors and passersby.
Later in life, Lisa became known as Mimi to her beloved grandchildren. Lisa loved spending time with her grandchildren and she had a special bond with each of them.
Summers were a special time for Lisa, when the family would travel to Holden Beach, North Carolina. She enjoyed the quiet mornings there, waking early for long walks along the beach. Her mother, siblings and their families would join them, making the trips even more meaningful. For Lisa, the best part was simply being together and enjoying time with the people she loved.
Lisa met the love of her life, Jim, in St. Louis, Missouri, where they were both working in the intensive care unit. Their shared career in caring for others brought them together, and they went on to spend 41 years married. Together, they built a life centered around family, love, and the many memories they made along the way.
Lisa is survived by her mother Mary, her husband Jim, their children David (Laura Jacoby) Gamble, Jillian (Jesse) Coffey, and Ryan (Jackie) Gamble, their grandchildren Kyleigh, Callan, Quinn, Nora, and one on the way, and her siblings Kim, John, Pat, and Nikki. Along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and close, personal friends.
Services for Lisa will be held privately.
My Once in a Lifetime Friend…
In looking back over my adult life, I would have to say that Lisa is someone I would call my “BFF”, a terminology that may be more frequently & casually bestowed when one is younger, but when one is older & more selective in bestowing that honor… its designation is especially unique & meaningful ……
There are so many things that I admire in & learned from, this dear friend of mine…
Lisa was always better at managing her household than me. I have to be honest … her home is beautiful and so personal. She took time and care in building it for her family… she created a warm & meaningful place for them …. But more than that, her home extended beyond the confines of her house …. It existed in the time she spent nurturing, sharing with, knowing, and supporting her kids …. her pride & happiness in enjoying her children as adults – when her gang gathered together regularly every other Sunday for family meals …. The many times she enjoyed walks & visits with them… driving distances to spend time with them when they were away at college …. I truly admired that love & dedication ….
Lisa and I shared a beautiful similar experience in building our families … thru adoption – which uniquely bonded us thru shared friends & acquaintances, get-togethers, thoughtful discussions, perspectives …
Lisa was a high energy person! She identified her goals and planned her activities in ways that were well beyond the abilities of most people! She followed through on things she planned to do, consistently. I couldn’t believe all the things she accomplished. From organizing a lifetime of photos; painting, papering & wainscoting rooms, laying floors thru out the house with Jim; creating her beautiful garden; supporting and contributing to causes she believed in; Lisa always accomplished what she set out to do. It was like an intelligence she was blessed with.
Lisa’s joy in working with her garden – importing flowers & bushes that she developed into her backyard masterpiece – left me in awe. Such hard work!! How I enjoyed Lisa proudly giving me a grand tour of her beautiful peace-inducing landscaped yard, season after season.
Lisa’s celebration of her family was manifested in her heart-warming, thoughtful pictures, displayed so lovingly in her home. To my lifelong gratitude, she shared her unique talent with me. I was so honored! I’ll always remember how she spent hours and hours working on perfecting the pictures she took of my grandchildren when they were babies – in addition to the strenuous time-consuming undertaking she suffered thru beforehand, with every set of portraits, as she cajoled each of my uncooperative fretful grandbabies into the glowing adorable cherubs she captured in her images! But having a sense of humor, she also gifted me with pictures of their crying fits! Goofy faces! So hysterical! So priceless!! I now have a cherished collection of pictures of my grandchildren, which perfectly showcase their precious infant days – images that are gifts I’ll always cherish, from my friend.
And as I recall how deeply I cherished the photos she created of my grandchildren, I am reminded again of how she was there for me when my family suffered a house fire. The night of the fire was marked by a heavy downpour of cold hard rain. It happened around 9 o’clock at night – well past her bedtime!! She somehow fathomed that I was in trouble, and before I knew it, she and another friend were there by my side in the pouring rain, watching the firemen work …. she scanned and saved every photo that she could obtain digitally for me …. She allowed me to store many household items in her garage, and supported me all through the process of our recovery. She was even smart enough to know that she couldn’t count on me to collect all my stuff from her garage!! How smartly she organized and delivered every single one of my things a year later when I finally had a new home! I laugh now. She was so sharp about everything – even now, I still have stuff at my sister’s!!
Lisa had such a clear head. She was no nonsense. She was totally honest, but always kind …. straight to the point, but helpful…. very matter of fact….. smart as a whip….. so insightful …appreciative of the humor in life …. The perfect confidant …. A great listener!! Man, was I lucky to have her to walk and talk with!
We did a lot of things together in the neighborhood, but it was always more fun when she was there. We shared kids’ birthday parties, school-based activities, swim club festivities, bookclub hosting, & outings …. and diets! She was so creative – Lisa aways had clever ideas about how to get things started. I’ll never forget the clever Halloween costumes she helped her kids create. Oh my gosh were they hysterical! Really really clever!! Like David dressed as a girl with high heels, and another year, his awesome Steve Irwin getup! …. So many people enjoyed the unbelievable videos that she created for her children’s school & sports activities, year after year. Yes, things were a lot more fun when they were shared with her!
Lisa cared so much about people around her. She was very politically insightful, and I think it’s sourced from her healthy sense of right and wrong, and her true concern for the lives of people around her. She was the reason I became more politically aware myself…. I cared more about the world I lived in, after we became good friends.
Without Lisa, I now feel like my life has a bland feature to it … Lisa added a richness & depth to my days. She was there to share with – every perspective, thought, reaction, reflection or experience I felt – I ran them all by her. I don’t have someone to share them all with now, not in the same way that I did with her…..
But Lisa will always be with me. I talk to her now …. I feel she can hear me…. She lives on in what I learned from her, & in my memories of her which I share …. I would be honored to be able to continue to stay in touch with her family …. because if she were here, I would know them well & through her, I would share their experiences. You are not forgotten my friend…. you never will be! And you live on in that beautiful family of yours!
Love always, Mary Ellen
I never heard Lisa say anything bad about anyone.
A lot of young women who marry a young doctor are mostly interested in driving the Mercedes and going to lunches at the country club. Lisa was different. It seems that her main interest was anything and everything about Family. And she was really, REALLY good at it. You can see it reflected in her children, her grandchildren and the home she filled with warmth and meaning.
And she didn’t limit her definition of Family to her husband and children. She included everyone. When I was going through difficult times she made sure my daughter felt loved and included. Always.
Back when I would visit my mother on Saturdays we would pass the time by looking at old pictures on my phone. My mother always said how much she loved that. And every single picture I showed her was on my phone because Lisa spent decades pouring over old family albums and scanning every photo. Then sharing them with anyone who asked. If not for her those photos would’ve been lost forever.
Even in recent years she would find old pictures or videos of Kate and send them to me. They are gold.
I keep thinking about something that happened maybe 25 years ago, at a wedding reception or some other family event. I was sitting with Lisa and a few others while the youngest kids were running around and playing. At one point we saw Myles coming toward us. He had to be no more than 2 or 3 years old, and it was obvious that he was very upset. His face was bright red and he couldn’t even talk because he was so furious. He could’ve walked up to any one of us but he went straight to Lisa and started jabbering…
She didn’t laugh at him.
She didn’t yell “shut up and go play”.
She didn’t put him on a chair and tell him not to move until he calmed down.
She didn’t stand up and start to remove her belt with the threat of hitting him with it.
She looked directly at him, furrowing her brows in a way that a 3 year old would interpret as focused interest and concern. And she quietly and sincerely asked “What’s wrong?”
Myles’ face immediately cleared, and he calmly explained what had happened.
I sat there in absolute awe. I knew I had just witnessed a master class in advanced parenting.
It just came naturally to her.
And then there was the time soon after Jim and I had built the first iteration of their deck and everyone was coming over for a summer holiday cookout. Jim came to me with an excitement that was just about as excited as he can get, because he wanted to show me his idea of putting the grill up on that deck right next to a kitchen window so people could pass food in and out of that window for grilling. So we went and picked up the grill, moved it up the steps and over toward that window. Then Lisa asked what we were doing so Jim again excited started explaining his genius window plan but Lisa said “No the grill goes over there” and Jim just smiled, shrugged and said to me “okay, I guess the grill goes over there”.
It was a lesson in Happy Marriage that I will never forget.
A lot of people are loud. And they want attention. Lisa was quiet.
And she quietly built a legacy that will endure forever.
This was such an unspeakable tragedy. So there are no words.
But I see her children and her grandchildren and her home.
And I see hope for the future she built.
From,
Rick Gamble
2 Comments
perfect our beautiful girl l’ll love her forever and miss her even more! sister Judi
Lisa was only six when I met her. I loved hearing she met and married Jim and together they raised three children.
She shared her sweet smile with everyone she met. In LOVE and Peace Lisa