Obituary of Earl Joseph Gamble

Earl J. Gamble, Age 77, of Marshfield, passed away in the evening hours of Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at Marshfield Medical Center.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, August 19, 2023, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Spencer with Rev. Barry Saylor officiating. He will be laid to rest in West Spencer Cemetery in the Town of Sherman with military honors. Family and friends are invited to gather for a visitation at Life Tributes Funeral Home in Spencer on Friday, August 18^th from 4 PM to 7 PM and again at the church on Saturday from 10 AM until time of services. The honor of pallbearer belongs to: Hayden Bauman, Isaac Gamble, Kaden Olson and Jacob Nielsen. Honorary pallbearer is Christopher Gamble.

Earl was born January 14, 1946, in West Allis to Edward and Adeline (Nys) Gamble. He was a graduate of Spencer High School and then attended Brown Institute of Broadcasting in Minneapolis, MN. Also, during this time, he served his country in the Wisconsin Army National Guard from 1966 to 1972. On July 2, 1966, he was united in marriage to Sharon DeVries at Christ the King Catholic Church in Spencer. Life and family led him away from the broadcasting field, but Earl was a man of many skills; he was employed in various sales representative positions for several businesses early in his career. He eventually was drawn back to media work for radio station WMJA in Spencer, now known as WOSQ, as a radio DJ, studio host and play-by-play announcer. Led by his love for cars, he became a managing partner at Best Buy Auto in Marshfield for over a decade and then after semi-retirement, was on-site manager at the McMillan Court Apartments in Marshfield.

He was a lifetime member of Christ the King Catholic Church in Spencer where he also served as a eucharistic minister, a lecturer, a CCD instructor and was a church choir member throughout the years. As a younger adult, he was also active in the Spencer Swamp Stompers Snowmobile Club, the Spencer Jaycees, and served briefly on the Spencer village board.  He lived to entertain and make people laugh and was able to do that acting in many comedic productions around the area, including the Showcase Players in Colby, Campus Community Players in Marshfield, and several community/school productions in Spencer at the Tack Center. He was also well-known as the long-time PA announcer for the Spencer & now SC Rocket football program and other sports and was very proud to be formally honored as the “Voice of the Spencer Rockets” during halftime of one of the last games he was able to work.  A “big kid” himself, Earl had a special ability to connect with children and was usually the uncle who’s silliness delighted the kids at large family gatherings. This eventually led to another favorite activity of his during the holidays, when he masterfully played the role of Santa Claus at many public events throughout the Spencer and Marshfield areas. 

Earl enjoyed many hobbies in addition to his theater involvement, including fishing, boating, swimming, eagle watching, reading, and listening to big band music. He was both a World War II history and an old car buff, who eagerly attended many of the area classic cars shows. Most important to him, however, was simply getting to spend quality time with family and friends, which included playing cards, vacationing at lakefront cabins up north, and hanging out with his coffee clutch at the local YMCA.

Those who will cherish his memory include his loving wife of 57 years, Sharon; his sons, Kevin (Jackie Olson) Gamble of Chili, Dennis (Darcy) Gamble of Marshfield and Jim (Lorna) Gamble of Red Cliff; his daughter, Jennifer (John Jr) White of Marshfield; his grandchildren, Sydney (Jake) Nielsen, Christopher Gamble, Hannah Gamble, Hayden Bauman, and Isaac Gamble; his step-grandchildren, Cami White, Brittany (Alex) Smith, Ashley Dix, McKaila Olson, Mariah Olson, and Kaden Olson; and his great-granddaughter, Everleigh Nielsen. He is further survived by his siblings, Jerry (Mary) Gamble of Cambridge, Ontario, Rosalie Baierl of Wausau, Richard (Kathy) Gamble of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and David Gamble of Wausau along with many other relatives and friends.

Earl was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Adeline Gamble; his brother, William Gamble; his sister-in-law, Rosemary Gamble and his brother-in-law, Arthur Baierl.

The family would like to thank the YMCA as well as the Marshfield Medical Center for their exceptional care. 

If desired, memorials are being accepted by Earl’s family for either the Lucille Tack Center for the Arts or the Spencer Public Schools Athletic Department.

Earl’s arrangements are under the care of Life Tributes Funeral Home-Spencer. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.lifetributesfuneralhome.com