Darren Eugene Gamble

1970 - 2022

A loving son, brother, husband and father as well as a wonderful friend to many. Darren Eugene Gamble was born to Woody and Sue Gamble on June 5th, 1970 in San Jose, CA. When Darren was 5 years old, the family moved to the town of Scotts Valley, CA. It was there at the house on Pinecone Drive that Darren created many memories. His childhood days were spent playing baseball and kick the can in the street with friends, running around the neighborhood, riding bikes and playing hide n' seek in the woods behind the homes. Darren was a very outgoing soul and made friends with everyone he met. He was a natural athlete and especially loved playing soccer and baseball in his younger years. In high school, he developed a love for golf and played with friends often. Darren attended Brook Knoll Elementary, Miller Junior High (in Cupertino where his dad was a teacher) and graduated in 1989 from Harbor High School in Santa Cruz. Darren excelled at being a dependable and hard worker no matter the job, which included Jerry's Sports in SC and Severino's in Aptos. His lifelong work at American Airlines began before Darren was 20 years old and continued over 32 years. He loved his job and met some of his closest, lifelong friends there. After working in San Jose, CA then Seattle, WA and back to San Jose, Darren and Ashley, who were married August 23rd of 2002, moved down to El Segundo, CA later that year, where he worked at LAX until this past November. Darren was an integral member of the American Airlines employee union and took great pride in his work and accomplishments there as well as his job with the airlines. He enjoyed being that person who could be relied on to get things done. In his personal life, Darren's most important job was being a dad to his only child, Cooper. Darren and his wife Ashley enjoyed many afternoons watching Cooper play sports (and some years coaching and running the Little League snack shack) and supporting his passion for sports, just as Darren had enjoyed as a young boy. One extra special memory for the family was a trip to Cooperstown in 2017, where Cooper played in a baseball tournament, and Darren's mom, Gammie Sue was able to join them. Darren is survived by his wife Ashley, his son Cooper, his mom Sue Gamble, his sister Amanda Gundersen (Loren), his sister in law Laura Bruno (Steve) and mother in law Pat Belt, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Although Darren's life here with us ended much too soon, he has left us with many memories to cherish. His indelible sense of humor, his love and loyalty for his family and friends, his outgoing attitude and enjoyment of a good time and his helpfulness to those around him are all traits that will remain in the hearts of those of us who knew him. May we all be so fortunate to have a friend or be a friend, like Darren. A celebration of Darren's life will be held in Santa Cruz in August.