Joe Gamble

Mr. Joseph P. (Joe) Gamble, age 95, died October 30 at Hospice Home of the Piedmont after a brief period of declining health.

He was born November 21, 1929, in Guilford County to Charles Vance Gamble Sr. and Maude Roella Coltrane Gamble. He had been a resident of the High Point and Guilford County area all his life and was a U.S. Army Medial Corp having served in Germany. Mr. Gamble was a 1947 graduate of Sumner High School and Guilford College in 1951, with graduate work at Appalachian State University. He was an educator in the Surry, Guilford, and Randolph County School Systems. Mr. Gamble was a charter member of the Beulah Ruritan Club and the Sumner Civitan Club. In 1953, he was named "Teacher of the Year" in Surry County. He was a former member of the Greensboro Oratorio Society, charter member of the Greensboro Choral Society, and a member of the Don Trexler Singers. Mr. Gamble was active with the High Point Community Theatre, having served on the Board of Directors and acted in its productions. He also served as Minister of Music for both Centre Friends Meeting and the Archdale Friends Meeting, as well as being Director for the Jefferson-Pilot Chorliers.

In 1962, he taught the pilot program for Special Education in Randolph County at Trinity High School. During his twenty one years as an educator there, he served as Music Director and was responsible for the formation of the Trinity High School Band. His activities in the drama department at Trinity will long be associated with the productions of Broadway musicals, including: "Sound of Music", "My Fair Lady", "Brigadoon", "Fiddler on the Roof" , "South Pacific", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Carousel", "Oliver", "Hello Dolly" and "The Music Man". He played the role of Don Quixote in "Man of LaMancha."He served as president of the Randolph County N.C.A.E. from 1972-1973 and was Vice-Principal of Trinity High from 1971-1981. After he retired from public education, he was a designer at William's Flowers for 27 years.

Mr. Gamble was honored many times for his dedication and numerous contributions to the Randolph County, Archdale, and Trinity communities. In 1972, he was named "Teacher of the Year" at Trinity High and "Citizen of the Year" by the Archdale Lions Club. In 1981, he was the recipient of the Terry Sanford Award for Randolph County. The Archdale-Trinity Jaycees honored him with the Distinguished Service Award and the Archdale Trinity Women's Club presents a yearly scholarship in his honor. In 2011, the Trinity High School Theatre building was renamed in his honor, the Joseph P. Gamble Center for Performing Arts.

Mr. Gamble was a member of Wesley Memorial Methodist Church where he served as director of music for the Peacock Bible Class, was a member of the Chancel Choir, a member of the Older Adults Commission, the Missions Commission, was a Stephen Minister and received the Laity Award. While at Wesley Memorial, Mr. Gamble contributed the Easter altar arrangements and Advent wreaths. He was a former Sunday school teacher and was a member of the Western N.C. Conference Building Teams of the United Methodist Church, having traveled to Acapulco, Nassau, Puerto Rico, and South Africa. A former member of the High Point Rotary Club, Mr. Gamble was a Paul Harris Fellow.

He was preceded in death by his parents, all of his siblings, Myray Hodgin {Wendall), Berniece Breedlove {Radford), Edith Ruth Gamble, Mary Lou Jenson, Branson Gamble (Lois, Hazel) Floyd Gamble (Freda), Charles Vance Gamble, Jr. (Mary Francis). Nieces and nephew, Elaine, Jean and Van.

He is survived by many nieces and nephews, Wenda, Charlie, Ann, Nina, June, Terry, Audrey and Susan.

Visitation will be held from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 6, at Cumby Family Funeral Service in Archdale. Funeral services will be conducted at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 8, in the Meeting Room of Centre Friends Meeting, 325 N.C. Hwy 62 East in Greensboro, with viewing and music beginning at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow the service at Centre Friends Meeting Cemetery. The family will receive friends after the interment in the Meeting Fellowship Hall.

Condolences may be made through www.cumbyfuneral.com. Please direct memorials to Hospice of the Piedmont, www.hospiceofthepiedmont.org.