Juanita Gamble

Juanita Gamble, beloved wife, mother and friend, passed away unexpectedly on Feb 17, 2023, just past midnight, at the age of 63, due to unexpected complications during a routine medical procedure at St. Bernadine’s, San Bernardino, CA. She is survived by her husband of 36 years, Eugene Gamble; son, Michael Rose; stepdaughter, Mandy Ison; their two cats, Annabelle and Daisy; various family members, and a multitude of friends. Juanita was born Jan 18, 1960, in Michigan to Orville Rose and Mary Dennis, as the youngest and only child of their marriage, growing up in a large, blended household with several half brothers and sisters from both of their previous marriages. During her childhood, Juanita developed a deep love for animals, often feeding the skunks and raccoons under the house and in the neighborhood. She would grow up to own several cats and dogs with her husband, Gene, and she refused to watch movies where animals were injured or killed. In elementary school, Juanita also developed a passion for performing arts, and became a dedicated dancer, singer, and actress, often training daily for hours after school. Her dream was to become part of the Chicago Ballet and at age 13, she was offered a position, a role that her parents didn’t pursue. In 1976, her family left Michigan, moving to Hemet, CA, where she finished high school. Shortly after graduating, Juanita married her first husband, and in 1980, had her only son, Michael. They divorced a few years later. On her birthday, January 18, 1987, Gene and Juanita married on the front lawn of his house in Beaumont, CA, and had just celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary at the time of her death. Throughout the late 80s and 90s, as avid motorcyclists, they often rode their 1800cc Honda Gold Wing on road trips across the country, as part of the Over the Hill Motorcycle club. They visited Illinois, Kansas, Las Vegas, and Wisconsin, as well as sites such as the Grand Canyon, Sequoia National Forest, and Yosemite. When not riding off into the sunset on their motorcycle, they would go bowling every week in Hemet, where Juanita once scored a 205! Not one to rest on her laurels, Juanita started a performing arts business in the early 90s called the San Gorgonio Pass Dance Studio in downtown Banning, CA. She taught ballet, jazz, tap, Hawaiian, Tahitian, and country line dancing. She closed it a few years later and sold it to a dance studio in Beaumont. As an avid Star Trek fan, Juanita began to attend Star Trek conventions in the late 90s, often volunteering for a variety events, including William Shatner’s Hollywood Charity Horse Show, the Pasadena Grand Slam, Farscape, Fangoria and numerous other conventions, along with her stepdaughter, Mandy, and many of her trekker friends. During that time, she joined the International Federation of Trekkers (IFT) fan club, and in June 2000, she and her stepdaughter founded Juanita’s own ship, the USS Ulysses, with frequent away missions to airshows, aquariums, county fairs, JPL open houses, miniature golf, movie premieres (including Star Wars), museums, renaissance faires, zoos, and so much more. As part of their nonprofit mission, they raised funds to adopt animals each year from The Living Desert in Palm Desert, CA, as well as their extensive miniature train exhibit. She rose through the ranks of IFT to become a Fleet Admiral as an integral part of their fan organization. Her passion for singing led her to start a karaoke business in 2010, Wolf Blade Karaoke, often hosting karaoke night at the The Living Desert for donations that would help fund adoptions for the Ulysses. At Renaissance Faires, her favorite costume (of which she had a few) was as a swashbuckling pirate, complete with a leather vest, boots, sword, hat, and pewter beer stein. Accompanied by her friends, Julia and Bob Ree, Kim and Bob Rivard, to name a few, as well as her stepdaughter, Mandy, she loved getting into character, watching the bawdy shows, laughing hilariously at Moonie the Magnificent, and marveling at the acrobats, dancers, jousters and musicians. Over the years, Gene and Juanita could also be seen at the Perris Speedway, to cheer on their favorite monster truck, Grave Digger. For vacation, they visited Big Bear each year, enjoying the lake and the surrounding forest, including fishing, boating, and 4th of July fireworks. They were regulars at Outback Steakhouse every Fri night, Taylor’s for tacos and karaoke every Tue night, and Flo’s every Sat and Sun. With her stepdaughter, Juanita and Mandy attended San Diego Comic Con together for nearly a decade from early 2000s to 2013, recruiting for IFT, hamming it up for photo ops and seeing their favorite actors on stage for Dexter, The Vampire Diaries, Spartacus, Sons of Anarchy, the Myth Busters and more. They could also be seen at the San Diego County Fair to cheer during the monster truck or turkey races. As show and travel partners, they watched Hamilton in Chicago, went on a cruise to Alaska (including Gene) and, last year, on a Disney Cruise to Mexico with their friends, Brett and Lisa Bailey. Together, they have seen The Book of Mormon, Phantom of the Opera, Volta (Cirque de Soleil), Tao Taiko Drums, Riverdance and others, and had hoped to see many more. In 2018, with her sister at heart, Julia Ree, Juanita became a dedicated supporter of the Relay for Life events to raise money for cancer research and had just signed up for the Relay for Life of Corona. The same year, Juanita also joined the Inland Empire Ornament SWAG, of which Julia was a member, a local Hallmark ornament collector's club, and quickly embraced the love of ornaments and the fellowship of collecting, getting up early to be first in line for the best choice and often volunteering for various club related activities. For the past decade, Juanita, Gene and Mandy have spent Christmas together, even if on Zoom during the height of the pandemic. Like clockwork, they exchanged gift lists a few months before Christmas, and unwrapped presents together at Mandy’s home in San Diego. Not one to waste an opportunity, these holidays were also spent visiting the Cabrillo Monument, Hotel Del Coronado, La Jolla Cove, or the San Diego Zoo. With nearly identical birthdays, Juanita’s on 1/18 and Mandy’s on the 19th, they often made a joke of sending each other gift cards just a day apart. They had just seen each other for Christmas 2022. Juanita loved her husband, children, friends, and pets, many of whom she adopted as her chosen family. She never knew a stranger and gave her love unconditionally. She will be deeply missed by all those who knew and loved her. Juanita will be laid to rest at the Riverside National Cemetery on March 31st, at 11 am, with a Celebration of Life to follow. If you wish to contribute to a cause, helping any of the following in Juanita's name would be appropriate: The Living Desert, Relay for Life of Corona, or the American Heart Association. "Whatever way our stories end, I know you'll have rewritten mine by being my friend." https://www.livingdesert.org/ https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=104298 https://www.heart.org/donate

Juanita Gamble

January 18, 1960 - February 17, 2023